A Beauty and a Beast
by Sapphire Rose E
Summary: Once upon a time there was a town were everything was as it was before that is, until today. Be our guest in a world of enchantment. A woman goes off to seek the adventure she wishes to have. Only to find out that this was not what she wanted, or is it?
1. An Adventure Unfolds

hey guys!!!! i sooo sorry about not updating Trinity Blood the Movie i have soo many test and basketball! plus i have a term paper due soon and a few things for science fair! plus i have church and i need to do Christmas shopping (and shopping for myself! gotta have cute winter outfits!!!) and i just have to hang out wih my friends cuz i love them soo much! plus i have some family problems popping up and i wish my love would tell me he loves me TT-TT (i've liked this same guy for 8 years and i havent told him yet, but i think he likes me and i think he knows about my feelings, some of my friends are blabber mouths! XX) but i'm hoping to update that soon! but i had this story on my computer (only about the begining of thi chapter) so i decided to finish this chapter and update more in the future! i hope you like this!

DISCLAIMER: everyone's gotta have one of these…don't they?… well, sad to say, but I don't own Trinit Blood or Beauty and the Beast, but I do own Porter though!3 but not some of his lines TT-TT …

ENJOY! Remember to review at the end!

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oh! here's the cast for this chapter:

Belle: Esther

Prince???(find out next chapter! but i know u can guess who he is!)

old beggar woman/enchantress: Lilith

Belle's father: Bishop Laura

Gaston: Dietrich

Lefou: Porter (OC 3)

Philippe: as himself! (hehe)

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_Once upon a time in a far away land a young prince lived in a shining castle Although he had every his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But than, one winter's night an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed from her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances for beauty is found within and when he had dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress with long red hair and glamorous blue eyes._

_The price tried to apologize, but it was too late for she had seen that there was no love in his heart and as punishment she transformed him into a monstrous Crusnik and placed a powerful spell upon the castle and all who lived there._

_Ashamed of his monstrous form, the Crusnik concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom on his 21__st__ year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell could be broken._

_If not, he would be doomed to remain as a Crusnik for all of time._

_As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast such as him?_

_A Beauty and a Beast _

Chapter 1: An Adventure Unfolds

In a quiet village lived a young woman. She was the most beautiful girl in that small village, however she was quite usual. She always had her nose stuck in a book. She loved to read; the books she read were her friends. Every morning, such as this, she would come out from her house and walk into the village to see the bookkeeper to return and checkout books. That is were we see the young woman off to this fine early morning as the rooster crowed and the birds twittered.

She walked down the dirt path to the village as she wore a simple blue dress with a white apron tired around her waist and as she swayed her basket, were her book was in, back and forth. She crossed the stone bridge into the quiet village as the people just began to start their day. She said hello to the baker and to everyone else she passed.

She opened the door to the bookshop and the little bell rang as she did so.

"Ah, Esther." A man said.

"Good morning." Esther said as she walked up to the bookkeeper and handed him the book in her basket. "I've come to return the book I borrowed."

"Finished already?" He asked as he took it. He turned and saw Esther as she climbed onto the ladder hooked up to the tall bookshelf as she said,

"Oh, I couldn't put it down." She turned and looked at the books. "Have you got anything new?" She asked as he chuckled.

"Not since yesterday." He replied.

"That's all right." She said. "I'll borrow," she took a blue covered book of the shelf, "this one," and handed it to the old bookkeeper.

"That one?" He asked as he looked at the cover. "But you've read it twice!" He exclaimed.

"Well, it's my favorite–– far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells; a prince in disguise!" She explained.

The old bookkeeper chuckled again as she climbed down the latter. "If you like it all that much––it's yours." He said as he handed it to her.

"But sir––" She began as she headed toward the door.

"I insist." He said.

"Well, thank you. Thank you very much!" She said as she waved bye to him and walked down the cobblestone road. She began to walk home as she read the first page of her book.

However, she didn't see the man following her in the alleys. He stepped out of the shadows and into the light. He had brown hair just three inches over his ears that touch his neck and had brown eyes. He smiled devilishly at the redheaded woman.

A man, who was a bit shorter than the other man, followed him out from the alley. "Wow, Dietrich! Just take a look at how much money that old fart left us with!" The old fart was the old man they had just robbed.

"Yes, yes. That kind of money will help me in winning that girl." He said as he pointed his head toward Esther as she walked down the cobblestone road.

"What? You mean Esther? But she's an orphan! None the less that cursed witch-in-disguise takes care of her like she was her own! That girl will grown up to be a witch too, you'll see!" The man made a scary, killer's face and hissed.

"Yes, but she the most prettiest girl in this town. And I deserve the best, don't I, Porter?" Dietrich asked as he looked the man, who's name was Porter, in the eye.

Porter turned pale and sheepish. "Oh, of coarse you do, Dietrich! You are the best man alive!"

Dietrich smiled. "That's right. And the best man alive needs the most beautiful girl alive." He said and walked toward Esther. He was just behind her until he darted into an alleyway, with Porter behind him.

* * *

Esther turned around. She had a feeling someone was following her. She shrugged her shoulders; then turned around to walk again, but instead she smacked her head on a strong chest. She looked up to see Dietrich as he smiled cutely at her.

"Hello, Esther!" He said innocently.

"Oh, good morning, Dietrich." Esther said as she took a step backwards and smiled at him.

"I see you're reading."

"Oh, yes. The bookkeeper gave me this book to read."

"Do you like reading books, Esther?" He asked as he took the book after from her and flipped through the pages.

"Yes, I do. They're very interesting––"

"I think women shouldn't read. They don't need to get ideas about things." He said coolly as he tosses the book over his shoulder.

Esther rushed passed him to pick up the book. It had landed in a puddle of mud. She wiped off the mud on her apron. She looked at Dietrich, who stood over her.

"Really, Esther, you need to get your head out of these books and more attention to more important things: like me." He smiled down at her devilishly.

"Dietrich, you are positively primeval." Esther told him as she stood up.

He chuckled and said, "Why thank you, Esther." He put his arm around her slyly as he said, "What do you say, you and me take a walk over to the tavern and take a look at my trophies?" He took her book away again as he lead her back toward in the center of the town.

Esther crossed her arms and looked at him, crossed. She reached for her book. "Maybe some other time." She said awkwardly. She took the book from him and walked back toward her cottage, which was only about half a mile away from the town. "Please, Dietrich, I can't. I have to go home and help my mother. Good-bye!"

Porter, who came out of nowhere and stood by Dietrich, laughed. "That crazy witch, she needs all the help she can get!" Dietrich joined in his laughing.

"Don't talk about my mother that way!" Esther snapped at the two. Immediately they stopped and looked at her.

Dietrich looked down at Porter as he said, "Yeah, don't talk about her mother that way!" He hit Porter on the head with his fist.

"My mother is not crazy! And she's not a witch!"

An explosion came from behind her. She turned around to see smoke flowing out from her cottage. She raced toward her house, leaving the laughing idiots.

* * *

She opened the door to her house and ran inside. The smoke was thicker in the kitchen, so she headed there. She heard a woman coughing and when the smoke cleared a bit, she saw her mother, who had blonde hair and a white dress on, on the floor. She rushed to her mother's side. "Mom!" She exclaimed. 

"Hello, Esther dear. Welcome home!"

Esther's expression softened. "Hello, Mom."

"Now, how on earth did that happen?" Her mom asked as she looked at the smoking and boiling pot on the stove.

"Are you all right, Mom?"

"Yes, yes I'm all right." She stood up with Esther. "But I'm afraid the soup's not."

"Oh, Mom, why can't you wait until I get home to make the soup?"

Her mother was never a good cook. She would even burn water!

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise. For your birthday."

Today was Esther's birthday, her 18th birthday to be exact.

"Mom, you don't have to make me soup for my birthday. You could have given me a dress or a book." She smiled at her mother.

The smoke had cleared and the kitchen air was fresh.

"That's my Esther. The only girl who would want a book as a birthday present." Her mother smiled back at her. "Come, let's have some tea."

"All right, Mother. I prepare some."

* * *

Esther poured some tea for her mother. They were in their living room, sitting at a small table. "Thank you, Esther." Her mother said.

Esther nodded and took a sip of her tea. Her mother did the same. Esther held her teacup in her hands and stared into it. "Mom, do you think I'm odd?"

"My daughter? Odd? Where did you get an idea like that?" Her mother asked as she took another sip of her tea.

"Oh, I don't know. It's just… it's just that I don't know if I fit in here. There's no one I can really talk to."

"Oh, but what about that Dietrich? He seems to like you enough and he's a handsome fellow."

"He's handsome, all right, and rude, and conceited, and… oh, Mother, he's not for me."

"Oh, that's all right, Esther. I'm sure there is someone out there for you. The right man is just waiting impatiently for you to fall into his life."

* * *

Esther sat at the table. She was reading the book that the bookkeeper had given her. It was in the afternoon, when someone knocked on the door. She quietly got up to answer it. When she opened the door she saw Dietrich. He proudly stepped inside. "Dietrich. What a pleasant surprise." She backed up. 

"Isn't though? I'm just full of surprises. You know, Esther, there's not a girl in town that wouldn't love to be in your shoes. This is the day that your dreams come true."

Esther walked over to the table. "And what do you know about my dreams, Dietrich?"

He sat down in the chair and placed his muddy boots on the table right on her book. "Plenty. Picture this: a rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire," he began to slip off his boots as he talked, "and my little wife massaging my feet, while the little ones play on the floor with the dogs."

Esther held her nose in disgust. She did not like how this was going.

Suddenly, Dietrich stood up, right in her face. "We'll have six or seven."

"Dogs?" She asked worryingly.

He pulled back a bit. "No, Esther! Strapping young boys." She grabbed her book off the table and held it to her chest. "Like me." He added with a smile.

"Imagine that." She said awkwardly as she walked away from him.

"And do you know," he said following her, "who that little wife will be?"

She had wiped the mud off the book again with her apron and put the book on the bookshelf. "Let me think." She said as she looked away from him with the most disgusted look on her face.

He pinned her up against the wall and leaned close onto her. "You, Esther."

"Dietrich, I'm," she rushed away from him and moved toward the door, "I'm… speechless." She placed a hand on her chest as she leaned against the door. "I really don't know what to say." Dietrich proudly walked up to her.

He pinned her up against the door as he said, "Say you'll marry me."

"I'm very sorry, Dietrich, but… but," she reached for the door handle and when she found it she turned it open, "I just don't deserve you!" She moved to the side as the door opened and he fell out the door. She threw his boots out to and shut the door close.

Porter ran up to him and asked, "So, how'd it go?"

Dietrich stood up and took a hold of Porter's collar. "I will have Esther for my wife. Make no mistake about that!" He said; then dropped Porter and stormed off.

"Hmph! Touchy!" Porter remarked. Then, he realized that Dietrich was already half way down the path back to town. He stood up and cried as he chased after him, "Hey! Wait for me!"

Esther watched from behind the curtain of one of the windows as Dietrich and Porter headed back to town. "Finally, he's gone." She sighed. She opened the door again and walked outside. Chickens clucked as they fed on their feed as she walked by them. "Can you imagine?" She asked as she took their bucket of feed and walked. "He asked me to marry him!" She marched around to the side of the cottage where the farm animals were kept. "Me the wife of that boorish, brainless…." She opened the wooden gate to the pen and set the bucket of feed on a barrel. "_Madame_ Dietrich. Can't you just see it?" She picked up a rag and wrapped around her head and held it at her neck. "_Madame_ Dietrich, his little wife!" She kicked the barrel and the chickens clucked and the goats bleated. "No sir, not me! I guarantee it!" She ran around out to the back of the cottage. Behind the cottage was an open plain; then a cliff. You could look for miles at the beautiful scenery. Rolling hills, covered with trees, whose leaves were charging colors, a clear, blue, sparkling river as the sun began to set behind the hills.

Esther wanted so much more than the provincial life she had. She wanted adventure like in the books she read. She wanted it badly. She sat down in the grass. " It might be good to have someone to understand me." She whispered as a wind blew on and around her. She stood up and walked back to her house. She had an idea. She would leave this town for a while and seek another place. She would go off and have her adventure. She would return to her mother in a year, if not sooner.

* * *

Her mother understood her and sent her off with her love, a smile, a hug, and some warm clothes.

Esther mounted her horse, Philippe, and waved her mother goodbye. She turned away from her mother and looked out into the dark wood in front of her. And so her adventure began on her eighteenth birthday.

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well, there you have it! i hoped you like it! so review it! please! i had fun writing this! there's no movie themesfor trinity blood here! well, besides my anastaisa one which i will finish someday!! just give me a while! i'm also writing other storyes that aren't fanfics now so im sorry for the delay! i'm trying really hard! well see ya at chapter two (or chapter 24 for trinity blood the movie, which ever comes first) 


	2. Upon A Castle

**hello! i finally got chapter two typed! wow it's so late at night and i have school tomorrow! christmas vacation is over TT-TT too bad! i still need more sleep! but anyway I hope you enjoy this next chapter! remember to review at the end!**

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**Cast: (I'll show it at the end to not give everything away)**

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Chapter 2: Upon A Castle

Philippe, while Esther, who wore a brown hooded cloak, rode on his back, trotted through a forest as the sun began to set, making the woods grow darker and darker as mist began to form in the woods. Esther pulled on Philippe's reigns to make him stop in front of a wooden pole with signs on it. She held her oil lantern closer to the sign as she squinted to read it. However, the words on it had faded and no one could read it. The arrows on the pole pointed north and south, east and west, and some places in the middle of north, south, east, and west. Esther sighed as she closed her eyes. She looked at the dark path closest to her. She dug her heels in to the sides of Philippe to make him move down the path. And so like a good horse, Philippe obeyed and trotted down the path.

The woods grew darker as night began to set in. The full moon was over them in a slightly clouded sky as the wind gently blew a couple of red leaves from the branch and into the air. Owls hooted and birds chirped as squirrels and rabbits hustled about. But suddenly, in the darkness a bigger animal sneaked slyly. Philippe backed up alarmed as a howling sound echoed throughout the woods. "Philippe? What is it?" Esther asked as she tightened her gripped his reigns. The distant howling became louder as Philippe continued to back up. "Whoa, steady, Philippe!" Esther said. Philippe continued to back up right into a tree, waking up all the bats that lived inside. The bats screeched and flew out, circling both Esther and the horse. This only caused Philippe to become more scared and he stood up on his back hooves as he whinnied to scare the bats away. This didn't help. It only made the bats screech louder. So Philippe darted blindly down the forest. "Whoa, boy!" She told him as she positioned herself on his saddle to canter. The clouds in the night sky began to grow thicker and darker. As some clouds met, thunder crashed and lighting flashed.

She and Philippe could hear the snarling, growling, and howling of wolves as they chased them. She looked over her shoulder and saw a few as they bounded after them. However, the howling came just up ahead of her. She looked ahead and saw some more: the alpha of the pack was howling as he stood in the center. She quickly jerked Philippe's reigns to the left and he followed his master's wishes. He cantered through the narrow path jumping and leaping over fallen trees and big rocks. Still, the wolves followed them. Philippe came to a small dirt cliff and the dirt under his weight shifted. He, with Esther riding, slid down the dirt. But still, Esther fell off of him. He bounded away from her out of fright. "Philippe!" She called but he was too scared to obey and ran out into the dark. She heard the growls behind her and looked back. She saw the wolves as they came nearer. Thunder clashed and rain poured down on her. She looked ahead and saw a menacing looking, giant iron gate and stonewalls. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the gate. She grabbed the iron bars and shook it with fear. "Help!" She cried. "Somebody, please, help me!"

She looked over her shoulder to see the wolves coming closer as they snarled and barked. She pushed the gate forward and it magically opened a bit; she tumbled onto a cold, wet stone walkway. The wolves jumped and dove at her, but she managed to close the gate with her brown, high-heeled, boot-like shoe. They hit the gate. Rain dipped down her hair as she scared wide-eyed up at them and she turned her head to see what lay ahead. But then a wolf managed to bit her brown, boot-like shoe. She was pulled back a bit, but she pulled her shoe and foot out of the wolf's bite. She screamed and scrambled up onto her feet. She finally looked ahead of her and saw what lay ahead.

It was castle: an enormous, dark-looking castle. Gargoyles seemed to be the theme for they're where lots of them. "Who would have thought that there was a castle hidden in these woods?" She whispered. Thunder crashed and she ran toward the big wooden doors. She looked back and then, banged on the doors. And these too, seemed to open magically. She took a step inside. "Hello? Is anyone here?" She called, but received no answer. She followed the red long rug from the door to a flight of grand, white-marble stairs. "Hello?" She climbed the flight stairs, but then, they split into two different flights of stairs and she walked up the right side. "Hello? Is anyone here? It started raining and I was chased by the wolves!" But her words seemed to just echo around the abandoned castle.

* * *

A young boy, who had blonde hair and red eyes and looked around 9 or 10, came into a room, where a woman, who had spirally blonde hair, blue eyes, had a monocle on her right eye, and wore nanny or governess's outfit, sat at a desk. A maid, who had blonde hair and bluish-green eyes, stood next to her. "Miss Catrina!" The boy called. "There's a girl in the castle!"

Catrina narrowed her eyes at the young boy. "Ion, there are four girls in the castle: Kate, here, Noelle, Princess Seth, and myself. Now, did you take your bath yet, Ion?" She asked him coolly.

"No, I haven't, but, really, Miss Catrina, there's another girl in the castle!"

"Enough," Kate broke in, "Ion! You need to take a bath right now!" She rushed to him and took him by the arm. "Now, let's get you to the tub!"

"But really, Miss Catrina, Kate, there's a girl here!"

"Ion, stop making up such wild stories!" Kate snapped.

"But––"

Suddenly, the door opened up to the room and a little girl, around the same age as Ion and had blue hair and green eyes, came inside. "Catrina! Kate! There's a girl in the castle!"

"Princess Seth!" Kate and Catrina gasped. "Is this true?"

Princess Seth nodded. "Yes! I saw her wandering around the stairs earlier!"

"See, I told you!" Ion said as he crossed his arms.

* * *

Esther opened a slight opened door as it creaked. She flinched at it and went inside. "Hello? Is anybody here?" She looked to see that the room was a den like place. There was a fireplace, with a nice fire going, and a chair, followed by nick-knacks and painting on the walls. She cautiously walked into the room. "Well, someone must be here. There's a fire going." She whispered to herself. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Well, hello, little lady! Of coarse you're welcome here!" A voice, which sounded highly educated, said.

"I don't think that this is a good idea, Professor." Another voice, which seemed slightly annoyed, said right after.

Esther jumped slightly as she turned around. There, standing in front of her, were two men. One had a smart look around him as he held a pipe up to his lips. The other was gruffy looking and had black, slightly curly, hair that touched his shoulders; he had an annoyed expression on his face.

"The Master won't like this." The annoyed one said.

"Come, come, Leon! Have a heart! Here's a young lady dripping wet and lost!" The smarted one said.

"Um, excuse me, sirs, but am I welcome to stay in your place for the night?" Esther asked timidly.

"Of coarse you are, dear!" The smart one spoke again as he lead her to the chair. "Come, sit by the fire and warm up."

"William, we shouldn't do this. You know what the Master will do if he finds out that we have someone here." The annoyed one said again as he followed the smart one.

"Pish-posh! That's absurd! Even you wouldn't turn down a damsel in distress!"

"But, I'm afraid of what the Master would do if he found out." The annoyed one mumbled.

The smart one looked down at Esther, who now sat comfortably on the chair, and asked, "So, what is your name, young lady?"

Esther looked up at him. "Oh––um–it's Esther. Esther Blanchette."

"That's a pretty name." The man held his pipe to his lips again. "I am Professor William Walter Wordsworth, but you may 'Professor' or 'William' if you like." William pointed toward the other man and said, "That's Leon Garcia de Asturias."

"Leon will do just fine." Leon said bitterly.

"And I'm Kate Scott." Esther turned her head to look toward her right to see a woman holding a tray that had on it: a fancy looking teapot, a matching cup, and a sugar bowl. "Kate would be fine and would you like one lump or two lumps of sugar in your tea?"

"Oh, thank you. "Three would be splendid!" Esther said.

"Told you that she was pretty, Miss Catrina, didn't I?" Esther heard someone say. She looked over at the fireplace and saw another woman and a young boy stood by it.

"All right, Ion, that will do." The other woman said to the boy and then, she walked over to Esther. "I'm Miss Catrina Sforza and this here is Ion."

"I'm Seth!" A girl on the other side other the fireplace said. "Just Seth!" She smiled cutely at Esther. "Esther, you're gonna stay here awhile right?"

"Well, I don't know about that––" She started but, she was cut off by the bursting in of the door as a wind blew through the room and made the fire blow out. Black feathers followed the gust of wind. Esther jumped slightly in the chair as the other people looked at the door frightened.

"There's a stranger here." A scratchy voice growled.

"Master," William began, fright lingered in his voice, "allow me to explain. The young woman was lost in the woods. She was cold and wet…."

"Who said that she could come in?!!!" He roared at William.

Esther looked to her right to see if she could see who was talking, but she saw no one. She looked to her left and there her sapphire eyes met glowing red, eyes (which you could see a blue iris behind the red rage). Her eyes grew wide as she gasped to see face-to-face a monster. A monster that had a halo of long silvery hair, long, dark claws as fingernails, sharp pointy fangs, glowing red eyes, and black-feather wings.

"Why have you come here?" He asked.

"I need a place to stay." She answered timidly.

"You are not welcome here! However, since you have trespassed on my propriety, you have to for fill a punishment!"

Esther was now shaking in fear. "What is this punishment?"

He circled the chair she was in a few times. "Death! …Or you must stay here as my prisoner…."

"How long?"

"FOREVER!" He barked as he turned and looked at her.

"Forever? But, I can't I have to––"

"Which is it? Death or my prisoner?"

"I-I will be your prisoner." She answered softly as she looked away helplessly.

"Good choice." He looked away from her and walked over to the door. He seemed somewhat sad at her.

Leon walked over to his master and whisper. "Master?"

"What?" He barked, a bit softer then normal.

"Since, Esther, is going to be with us for quite some time, I was thinking that you should give her a comfortable room to stay in."

He growled at him and turned back to Esther.

"Then again, maybe not." Leon said as he straightened his posture out of fright.

The Master stood in front of Esther now. "Come. Follow me. I will bring you to your room."

Esther, who looked like she was about to cry, nodded and stood up. She followed him out of the room and down a hallway.

* * *

They had been walking for quite a while. Esther had been looking down and when she looked up, she finally noticed the scary gargoyles looking at her. She gasped and looked at the Master's back. She noticed something different about him: his wings were gone. And if she had seen his face, she would have noticed that his red-raged filled eyes had turned peaceful and like normal glacier-blue eyes.

"I–uh–hope you like it here." He said: his voice was still scratchy.

She knew he was trying to be nice, but she still looked at the floor as they walked.

"The castle is your home now. You may go any where you like, except the west wing."

"What's in the west wing?" She asked.

"It's forbidden!" He snapped.

"Oh." She whispered. They continued for a bit. "May I ask your name?" She timidly asked him.

He hesitated for a moment; then answered, "Abel. Abel Nightroad."

* * *

**cast:**

**Belle: Esther**

**Beast: Abel Nightroad**

**Lumiere: Professor William Walter Wordsworth**

**Cogsworth: Leon Garcia de Asturias**

**Mrs. Potts: Catrina Sforza**

**Chip: Ion**

**Maid: Kate Scott**

**My random character: Seth Nightroad (she's not mine but her role is) **

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**well i hoped you liked it! remember to review! i love to hear your thoughts!**


	3. All Of Those Sins

**hey guys! i've updated! who i would have updated soon however, ever since christmas eve i've been sooooooo busy! i havent had a day alone! until today that is (and i still have to finish my homework! TT-TT) but anyway i hope you enjoy this chapter! i'll give you an e-cookie if you review:D) **

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**Disclaimer: every one has to have one of these don't they? … well, here it goes… I don't own Trinity Blood of Beauty and the Beast! there i said it!**

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Chapter 3: All Of Those Sins

Abel stopped at a door. He opened it up as he said, "Now, if you need anything my servants will attend to you." She cautiously walked inside the large dark bedroom. "You shall attend to dinner every night. Including tonight. And that's not a request!" He barked out the last sentence as he slammed the door.

Esther turned to the door and placed her hands on it as she leaned her arms on it. She gasped and turned away from the door. She saw a big canopy bed in the dark room and ran to it as tears fell from her eyes. She fell on top of the bed and sobbed into her arms and the bed as the rain, which pour outside, clung to and slowly slid down the window.

The storm outside raged onto the castle. Lightening flashed and thunder clashed as the wind and rain beat upon it.

* * *

Dietrich was in the local tavern in town. The place was dark and evilful looking. "Who does she think she is? That girl has tangled with the wrong man. No one says no to me! I'm the richest and most handsome man in town! Who wouldn't want me?"

Porter glared at a few people who stared at them. "Darn right."

"Dismissed. Rejected. Publicly humiliated. Why, it's more than I could bear." He said as he slammed down his empty glass on the table, causing it to crack.

"More beer?" Porter asked him.

"What for?" He said leaning on the table as he supported his head up with his fist and looked away from Porter. "Nothing helps. I'm disgraced."

"Who, you? Never!" Porter asked as he tried to cheer him up. "Dietrich, you've got to pull yourself together."

"Pull myself together?" He asked.

Porter looked out the tavern window and saw Esther's adopted mother, Laura, walking through the town in the rain. "Oh, look who came into town. Crazy Laura!"

"Crazy Laura… hmm. Crazy Laura… hmm." Dietrich said as he thought about her. "Porter, I'm afraid I've been thinking."

"A dangerous past time…"

"I know. But that crazy witch is Esther's mother. And her sanity is only so-so. Now I've come up with a plan. It's a good one too."

"And evil?"

Yes, yes, of coarse. Now, here's the plan." He said and bent down to Porter's ear and whispered the plan to him.

* * *

The storm had lighten up and the moon and stars shown brightly in the night sky. Some moon light shown through the window where Esther was now living in. She still laid on the bed sobbing. She was still soaking wet and bitterly cold by this time. Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. She turned her head toward the door and said, "Who is it?"

"Kate, dear." The reply came.

She slipped off the bed and rushed to the door as she wiped her eyes with her slightly damp sleeve. She opened the door to see Kate, who held a golden tray of tea, with another woman, who had wavy, dark brown hair and dark mysterious brown eyes and wore deep crimson-red lipstick, as Kate said with a smile, "I though you might like some tea to warm you up. You most be freezing from being in the cold." She and the other woman came inside.

"Oh, well, that was very kind of you. I am a bit cold. Thanks." Esther said as she closed the door behind them. She turned to Kate and the other woman as the other woman said,

"Hello. My name is Noélle Bor. I'm pleased to meet you."

"Hello, my name's––"

"Esther Blanchette." Noélle answered for her. "Kate and Catrina told me all about you. I hope you enjoy your stay in the castle."

Esther melancholy walked over to her bed and sat down on it. "I don't think I ever will. I lost my mother, my dreams, …everything."

"Cheer up, Esther. I'm sure everything will turn out all right in the end. You'll see. Oh dear, listen to me! Jabbering away while there's supper to prepare." She walked over to the door and opened it, but, before she closed it behind her, she turned and said, "Noélle will help you get ready. Goodbye, for now." She smiled and closed the door.

"Well, now, what shall we dress you in for dinner?" Noélle asked her as she walked to the closet. Esther didn't answer and just looked away from her and at the floor. Noélle pulled out a nice looking purple one and said, "You'll look ravishing in this one."

Esther looked at her and said, "That's very kind of you, but…" she looked again at the floor, "I'm not going to dinner."

"Oh, but you must! Abel will be very displeased if you don't." She told Esther. "Besides at least you could change. You'll catch a nasty cold in those clothes."

A knock came to the door and then, it opened. William poked his head in; then, opened the door to show his body and said, "Dinner is served."

* * *

Abel frantically paced in front of a large fireplace, which was in the dinning room, as he asked Leon and Catrina, who both stood in the dinning room with him. "What's taking so long?" He asked them. "I told her to come down. Why isn't she here yet?" He barked at Leon and Catrina.

"Abel, just _try_ to be patient." Catrina spoke. "The girl has lost her mother and freedom in one day."

"Abel," Leon said, cutting, "have you ever thought that perhaps this girl could be the one to break the spell?"

Abel looked solemnly at the two of them from the corner of his eye. It was his fault that his dear friends had to suffer the curse as he had to. It was worse on them because they didn't do anything to deserve such punishment. He was the one to blame. "Of coarse I have." He said bitterly. "I'm not a fool."

"Good! So, you fall in love with her, she falls in love with you and poof! The spell is broken. We'll be human again by midnight!" Leon said, enjoying the thought of being human again.

"Oh, but it's not that easy, Leon." Catrina spoke up. "Probably the girl needs even more time now than ever because of how scared Abel made her of him." She glared coldly at him.

Abel returned her cold look. "Well, she shouldn't have been trespassing! She could have knock and waited for someone to answer like a normal person."

"You have forgotten that it was raining and cold." Catrina stated.

"Well, one of you could have told me about her! But no! You were going to keep it from me." He snorted.

Catrina sighed as she rolled her eyes and looked at Leon. "Anyway, Leon, these things take time."

"But the rose has already begun to wilt. We can't wait any longer."

Abel, who had already returned to pacing in front of the fire, shook his head. "It's no use." He ran is claws through some of his silvery hair in frustration. "She's so beautiful," he looked at his hideously, black, claw-like fingers nails on his fingers, "and I'm… Well, looked at me!" He snapped as he looked at the two of them again.

"Oh, but you must help her see past all that, Abel." Catrina said as she approached him.

"I don't know how." He said as he turned around. His slouched his shoulders in a pitiful manor.

"Well, you can start by making yourself more presentable." She said as she rushed around him. It was time to make herself the governess he had when he was a boy. "Straighten up." She commanded. He obeyed her and stood up like a solider. "Try to act like a gentleman." She told him.

"Ah, yes." Leon said as he walked over to Abel and Catrina. "When she comes in give her a dashing debonair smile. Come on! Show me the damn smile." Abel tried his best to smile, but it only looked full of evil.

Catrina noticed that and said, "But don't frighten the poor girl."

"Impress her with you rapier wit."

Abel nodded at both suggestions.

"But be gentle." Catrina added.

"Shower her with compliments." Leon continued.

Abel looked at Leon oddly.

"But be sincere."

He gave her a look that said: "What's 'sincere' suppose to mean?".

"And above all…" Leon began.

He put his hands to his head and was about to yell at them.

"YOU MUST CONTROL YOU TEMPER!" They said together.

The doorknob rattled as someone tried to come in. Leon gasped and said, "Here she is!"

Abel looked up at the door as it slowly opened. He was looking for her but those few seconds seemed like all of eternity. Finally, William came in. "Good evening." He said, a bit uneasy.

Abel had a smile on his face, but when he saw that it was only William, his smile dropped. "Well, where is she?" He asked.

"Who?" William asked trying to play dumb. "Oh! Yes, Esther, yes. Well, actually, she's in the process of… Circumstances being what they are… She's not coming."

"What?!" Abel yelled. He was furious. He had wanted her to join him! He wanted to see her again. She had crushed all his hopes and plans for that evening. Crushed them into little itty-bitty bits. His once peaceful blue eyes now glowed red. His black wings reappeared on his back as he flew, only about seven feet off the ground for now, toward the door. He pushed open the door in rage as he flew out into the grand hallway. Leon, William, and Catrina all ran after him––all three of them ran a lot quicker then a normal human could run.

"But your grace…! Your eminence!" William yelled after him.

He ignored him. All he wanted was to find out why she didn't want to be with him. He flew in the dark, dodging a few pillars until he finally reached her room. He landed right in front of her door on the red carpet. He pounded on her door with his fist. "I though I told you to come down for dinner."

"I'm not hungry." She replied from behind the door.

"You come out or I'll," he thought of something real quick, "You come out or I'll break down the door!"

"Abel, that may not be the best way to win her affections." Leon pointed out.

"Please_attempt_ to be a gentleman." William asked.

"But, she's being so _difficult_."

"Gently, gently." Catrina soothed.

"Will you come down to dinner?" He asked, not wanting to be too nice.

"No!" She answered immediately.

"Hmm?" He pointed at the door as to say: "See!".

"Ah, ah! Suave, genteel." William said.

He didn't want to say it. Not to her that he really wanted her to join him. But he had to. "It would give me great pleasure if you would join me for dinner." He said almost as if he was begging, pitifully.

"We say please." William mumbled.

"Please." Abel added.

"No, thank you!" She shouted at him from behind the door.

That's it. He lost his temper. "You can't stay in there forever!"

"Yes, I can!" She told him, still from behind the closed door.

"Fine! Go ahead! Go ahead and starve!" He yelled back. He turned to Leon, Catrina, and William and said, "If she doesn't eat with me, she doesn't eat at all." He ran off, gathering more speed with each step. Finally, he was soaring though the castle. He flew through an opened door and slammed it with all his might, leaving his friends at Esther's door.

"Oh, dear, that didn't go well. Abel's too stubborn and she's not helping either." Catrina said.

"Leon, stand watch at the door and inform me at once if there is the slightest charge." William told him.

"Feh, fine." He said as he stood by the door.

"Well, we might as well go down stairs and start cleaning up." William said and then, him and Catrina headed back downstairs.

* * *

Abel landed in front of a giant pair of double doors. His wings disappeared and his glowing red eyes returned to normal. He pushed open the doors as he talked to himself, "I asked her nicely, but she refuses!" He stormed into the dark, dusty, messy room as he kicked a chair out of his way. "Why? I thought that if you were nice to a girl she would defiantly be nice back! What did I do wrong?" He asked himself as he walked deeper into the messy room toward a table. A small, wooden table that had on it: a glass, rounded case with a magical, sparkling, floating rose trapped inside it and a silver hand mirror next to it. "Well, what does she want me to do? Beg?" He looked down at the mirror and picked it up. He looked into his scary reflection and said, quite calmly, yet angry, "Show me Esther." The mirror glowed green for a second and then, his reflection blurred then it changed into Esther, who now wore a light pink dress, similar to her other blue one, and Noélle's as the two of them sat on the bed in Esther's room.

"Abel isn't all that bad, once you get to know him." Noélle told her. "Why don't you give him a chance?"

Esther filled her both of her fists with her dress that lay on her thighs as looked down and said, "I don't want to get to know him. I don't want to have anything to do with him! That monster!!"

Abel's expression changed to hopeful to frustrated. He set down the mirror back on the table as he said, "I'm just fooling myself. She'll never see me as anything but a monster."

A petal fell from the rose, making the pile of petals under the rose turn from four to five. He shook his head in agony and defeat. He walked over to the opened balcony and over to the railing. He looked up at the full moon and sparkling stars as the silhouettes of clouds slowly moved across the night sky. He kneeled down, on both knees, in front of the railing as he hung his long thin, yet muscular, arms over it loosely. He knitted his eyebrows together in pain and suffering. "It's hopeless." He muttered. He let his arms slid back to him from the railing. He turned his body and leaned his back against the bars of the railing. He ran his claws throw his silvery hair and tugged at it, frustrated. "She'll never love me. Even though I want to love her. She's just so beautiful. It makes me mad that I can never have her. Oh, if only my stupid older brother hadn't made me mad that night! We would never have been in this mess. I would have found Esther someday. I know I would have for sure. But now, I know that I can never have her now. God wouldn't even want me now. All of those sins I have committed…."

* * *

**here's the cast for this chapter:**

**Belle: Esther**

**Prince/Beast: Abel**

**Lumiere/Cogsworh: Leon**

**Cogsworth/Lumiere: William (you see Leon and William both play different parts at different times in the story)**

**Mrs. Potts: Catrina**

**Chip: Ion**

**Wardrobe: Noélle Bor**

**Maid: Kate**

**Gaston: Dietrich**

**Lefou: Porter (OC :3)**

**Maurice(Belle's Father): Bishop Laura**

**MYSTERY OC IN PLOT LINE??????(i'll give you a hint: Abel metioned him)**

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** Well that's it for this chapter!! I hope you loved it! i had fun writing it! i love Trinity Blood and Beauty and the Beast! well please review cuz i like to see who read my story and what did they think of it! (i'm curious:3) so please review! if you do you get an e-cookie! yay! till next time!**

**p.s. also i might be adding another character in the next chapter! and i'll put Seth in it too! so check it out! **


	4. Ambitions, First Love, & Hope

**yay! i updated! i'm sorry i havent updated in a while. school keeps me so busy! but anyway i like it when people review so if you read my story PLEASE review! just tell me anything you like! i like to see that i have reviews! it makes me feel happy so please do so:3**

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**disclaimer: everyone's got to have one of these now? dont they?……ok well, here i go……i don't own Trinity Blood or Beauty and the Beast…there. happy? **

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Chapter 4: Ambition, First Love, & Hope

Noélle and Esther, who now wore a pink dress similar to her blue one, both sat on Esther's bed. "Abel isn't all that bad, once you get to know him." Noélle told her. "Why don't you give him a chance?"

Esther shook her head and looked away from her. "I don't want to get to know him. I don't want to have anything to do with him! That monster!" She said.

"Awe, come on, Esther. He really is nice. Just give him one chance. One chance is all I ask." She begged.

"Why do you want me to try to be friends with him for? He's a rude, arrogant jerk!"

"You haven't even talked to him for more than an hour."

"Still, why do you want me to?" She asked. She was going to get an answer from her. She was the curious type of person. Always wanting to know what was going on everywhere.

"You see this castle is enchanted. It's not just Abel who bares the curse. Yes, it's true that you can see his part is larger than ours, but we are cursed too. Esther, every worker here are vampires, however, we like to be called Methuselah, because we aren't blood thirsty like the vampires in the legends."

Esther looked at her in fright. "You––You're a vampire!" She squeaked and stood up with a hand gently in front of her own mouth.

"Yes, I am; so is Kate, William, Leon, Ion, Caterina, and Seth. All of us are. We didn't wish for this to happen. Neither did Abel, however, it did."

"How did this happen?" She asked as she sat back down on the bed.

Noélle looked down at the floor. "I can't say. It's painful to bring up. You'd have to ask Abel."

"Abel?" She asked. "Why him?"

"Only he knows the whole story of the curse." Noélle stood up and stretched. "Ah! Well, I must be going. There's work to be done. Now, if you get hungry, just call for me. I'll sneak something up for you." She winked at her as she headed for the door.

"Thank you. Goodnight, Madame."

"Noélle will do."

"Oh, okay. Goodnight, Noélle."

"Goodnight, Esther." She said and opened the door. Esther saw Leon standing right outside._"Oh, I hope he wasn't listening to us…" _she thought as Noélle closed the door.

* * *

Noélle had brought Leon down the dark hall for a second and told him what she had told her.

"You told her what?!" He gasped.

"I told her what we are." She said sheepishly.

"What the hell were you thinking, Noélle?" He yelled at her.

"Shhh! Quieter. She can probably hear us." She told him.

"So how did she react?"

"You weren't listening to our conversation?" She asked him surprised.

"No! I wasn't." He snapped.

She nodded. She could see a yellow aura around him. He was shy around her. She smiled seductively and said, "She was a bit frightened and surprise. However, she still wasn't one hundred percent afraid of me. She was still nice to me."

"Do you think that she will be the one to break our spell?" He asked her hopefully.

"I think so." She said as she held her chin with her right hand. "I see a aura of red (for hope) around her."

Leon smiled. "I can always count on you, Noélle."

* * *

The door to Esther's room opened a crack and Esther poked her head out. She looked around to see if she could see Noélle or anyone for that matter. She didn't and let her breath go. She fully opened the door and walked out of the room, into the dark hall. She turned her back to close the door; then walked cautiously down the hall. Her stomach growled loudly. She placed a hand on her stomach to calm it. She hadn't eaten a thing since her teatime with her mother. She needed food and fast. She couldn't bother Noélle and get her into trouble if Abel found her sneaking food to her. She would go down herself and if she were found out, she would be the one to blame. Not Noélle or any of the others. She carefully walked down the grand flight of marble stairs. Her stomach growled again. She pouted.

* * *

Ion was drying a dish with a rag. He stood on a stool and held the dripping dish over the sink. He had a sour look on his face. He would rather be playing with Seth then doing the dishes, however, he was a servant boy. Not a royal. Catrina and Kate had found him abandoned in the meadows of the castle and have raise him ever since.

"Come on, Ion. After that dish, I want you to head up stairs and go to bed." Kate said as she put her washed and dried gold tray into on of the cabinets.

"But Kate! I'm not sleepy yet!" He told her. Then he yawned deeply. He put a hand to his mouth to hide it as he did so he dropped the plate, sending it to the ground only to end up in pieces.

"Ion!" Kate gasped.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Kate!" He told her.

She sighed, "I guess, it can't be helped." She bent over and picked the big pieces up off the floor.

"I work and slave all day long. And for what?" A man, who had sort of long black hair, a mustache that lead into a beard, blue eyes, and wore a chef's hat on top of his head, said. "A culinary masterpiece gone to waste!" He placed his pot, which had his masterpiece inside, onto the wooden table in the middle of the kitchen quite hardly.

"Oh, stop your grousing, Vaclav." Kate said as she threw the pieces of the plate into the trash. "It's been a long night for all of us."

"Well if you ask me," William said as he swept up the rest of the pieces of the place into a metal dustpan with a broom, "she was just being stubborn." He took the metal dustpan over to the metal trashcan and dumped the bits of broken plate into it. "After all, he did say please."

"But if Abel doesn't learn to control his temper," Catrina said as she sat on a wooden chair next to the wooden table and held her tea cup in her hand quite elegantly, "he'll never break the…"

Just then the wooden door to the kitchen opened and Esther sheepishly came inside.

"Splendid to see you up and about, Miss Esther." William said as he walked over to her. "Is there anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable?"

"Well, I'm sorry, but I am a little hungry." She said.

"You are?" Kate said. "Here that? She's hungry!" Kate said as she turned to Vaclav and Ion. "Vaclav, stoke up the fire. Ion, break out the silver." Leon and Noélle, who both wore heavy cloaks and Leon was carrying a bucket of water, came into the kitchen through the back door from outside. "Oh, Leon, Noélle! You two take out the china!"

"Esther!" Noélle gasped.

"Why should we?" Leon asked at the same time.

"Because Esther is hungry." Catrina said as she set her cup of tea onto the wooden table.

Esther looked sheepishly at Noélle. "It's true." She said.

"But remember what Abel said." Leon said as he place the wooden bucket onto the table, making the water in it splash around.

"Oh, pishposh!" Kate said as she set the freshly cleaned plates on the table and Ion helped by clumsily trying to place some glasses on the table with them. Catrina helped the young boy.

"We can't let the poor child go hungry." Catrina said.

Leon crossed his arms in a childish manor and said, "Argh! All right, fine! Give the damn girl a glass of water, crust of bread, and then…"

"Leon, I'm surprised at you! She's not a prisoner. She's our guest!" William said as he pulled a wooden chair from the wooden table. "Right this way, Miss Esther. I'm sorry but for tonight you will have to sit in the servant's table. But tomorrow, you will be served at Abel's table in high class!" He exclaimed as she sat in the chair.

"Oh, thank you. It's quite all right. I don't mind at all." She said with a smile.

"Well, let's just keep it down. If Abel finds out about this, it will be our necks. And don't say I didn't worn you." Leon said.

"Of coarse! Of coarse!" William said. "Now, Kate, make some tea for Miss Esther, please."

"Coming up, William!" She said and took the bucket, which Leon had just brought in, and poured some water into the kettle.

Vaclav brought a bowl to her. "Soupe Aux Pommes De Terre." He said.

She picked up her spoon, which Ion had given her, and tried it. "Mmm! Delicious!" She said.

* * *

Esther pushed her empty dessert plate away. She had roast duck for her main meal and wonderful chocolate mousse for dessert. "Ah! That was wonderful! Thank you so much for the meal."

"Yes, it was good wasn't it? But look at the time! Now it's off to bed. Off to bed." William said as he waved his hand toward the door. Kate and Catrina had taken Ion to bed and Noélle went to check on Seth. Only Leon, William, Esther and Vaclav, who was doing the dishes, were in there. Leon was leaning back in his chair and William sat in the chair next to the head of the table's chair, where Esther was sitting, was.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly go to bed now. It's my first time in an enchanted castle!" She told him.

He drank the last of his tea in his cup. He set his cup down. "Enchanted! Who said about the castle being enchanted?" He glared at Leon from across the table. "It was you. Wasn't it?" He asked.

"Don't look at me! It was Noélle who told her."

"It was Noélle." She said; then she stood up. "I'd like to look around, if that's all right with you."

"Oh, would you like a tour?" Leon asked as he stood.

William stood up. "Wait a second. Wait a second. I'm not sure if that's a good idea. We can't let her go poking around in certain places, if you know what I mean."

"Perhaps you'd like to show me, William. I'm sure you know everything about the castle." Esther said smiling at him.

"Oh, well, actually, I… well, yes. I do."

"Maybe, we can take her to the gardens, William." Leon said.

"Oh, the gardens sound wonderful!" Esther said.

"Then the gardens it is!" William said.

* * *

The light from the moon shown brightly, making the plants, wet from the evening rain sparkle. There were hundreds of types of plants and flowers: lilacs, lavenders, lilies, irises, violets, and roses, along with many, many others. The abundance of them was roses and tall rose bushes. "Wow! I can't believe it! There are so many flowers, even though it's winter!" Esther said as she walked through the rows of plants and flowers.

"Yes, our gardener is amazing." William said as he looked at her as she smiled a stargazer lily.

"You should see it in the spring time. Loads of flowers everywhere!" Leon said as he picked one and walked over Esther.

She looked at him with a smile. "It must be wonderful."

"It is." He said as he gave her the lily.

"Oh, thank you."

"Your welcome. You should pick some for Abel. Along with these lilacs."

"Why do we have to bring him into this matter?" She asked.

"Because, I have never seen him like this before. He's determined to try to win you over to him. He likes you a lot Esther." Leon said as he picked a lilac.

"It's true," William said as he picked a few irises, "not in all my years have I've seen him try so hard. He was always so lazy. But now, you've gave us some hope in our lives and in his."

"Me? What can I do?" She asked as William walked over to her.

"Make him smile. Make him laugh. Make him feel loved. Don't run from him. Don't hide from him. It hurts him to see you do so." William said as he gave her the irises.

She took them as she nodded. "Okay. I'll try. But I won't make any promises."

"That's a good girl!" Leon said.

"What are you doing in here?" A cold voice asked. They looked to see in front of them was a man with long blonde hair.

"Ah! Hugue! You've haven't met Esther yet, have you." William said as he pulled Esther, who held a bouquet of stargazer lilies, lilacs, and irises in her hands, over to Hugue.

"Hello. I'm Esther Blanchett." Esther said as she looked into her bouquet.

"I'm Hugue de Watteau. I am the Master's gardener." He said as he eyed her bouquet.

"Oh, I'm sorry about picking your flowers, Mr. Watteau. Leon and William wanted me to give Abel a bouquet. I don't see why thought––"

"You may call me Hugue."

"Oh, right then. I'm terribly sorry, Hugue."

"It's fine." He said and walked away.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked them as she watched Hugue as he trimmed the rose bushes.

"Hugue has always been a loner. He never really likes to open up." William explained.

"He just takes care of the damn flowers all the time. Never talks to any of us. Just gives us damned cold glares."

Hugue looked at them and glared. He knew that they were talking about him.

Shivers rolled down each of their spines.

"Well, why don't we go and visit the stables! They're right next to the garden. It shouldn't be too much trouble."

Esther looked up at the castle window. She had felt that someone was watching her, but she only got to see a blur of silver as the curtain swished. _"Silver?"_

* * *

The three of them walked into the warm barn. Hay was scattered about the floor and piles into big bundles. A horse whinnied as they walked in and another snorted. The whinny sounded awfully familiar to Esther. She looked over at one of the stables and saw Philippe standing in it. "Philippe!" She gasped as she shoved the bouquet into Leon's chest and walked over to her horse. "What on earth are you doing in here?" She asked as she petted his nose. He rubbed against her hand happily. 

"Is this horse yours?" Someone asked. Esther looked at a man, who had short auburn hair and brown eyes, as he whipped his hands on a rag. He stood in the stable next to Philippe's.

"Yes, it is. I lost him on my way here." She told him.

"Ah! Tres! This is Esther! She's the one!" William asked as he winked at Tres.

"The one? Oh, I understand." He looked at Esther and said, "I am Tres Iqus."

"I am Esther Blanchett, please to meet you." She said as she smiled. She kissed Philippe's nose. "You be a good boy for Tres, Philippe." She told him; then turned to William and Leon. "Can we head to bed now? I'm starting to feel a bit tired." She told them as she yawned.

"Oh, yes, certainly, Esther. Well, goodnight, Tres." Leon said.

"Goodnight." Tres said.

Esther turned and nodded. "Goodnight. See you in the morning." She said; then she walked over to Leon and took back the bouquet.

* * *

Esther stood alone in her room. The only thing that lit the room was a single candlestick on her nightstand. She looked at the bouquet in her hand. _"Why am I doing this for?"_ She wondered. _ "He's a monster. He doesn't have feelings. Yet then why did a see sorrow in his eyes? And why does his wings creak with old sorrow?"_ She placed the bouquet in a vase filled halfway with water, which Kate had left for her, on her nightstand. She pulled the pink ribbon out of her hair and let her long locks of scarlet-red hair flow gently around her face. She placed the ribbon next to the vase. She changed out of the pink dress and into an off-white nightgown, which Noélle––it had seemed––had prepared for her, for in was on her bed. She pulled the covers back on her bed and crawled inside. She pulled the covers over her body and leaned over to her nightstand to blow her candle out. She did and relaxed into her bed. Today had been a long harsh day for her. She had been proposed to by Dietrich, left her mother, and became a prisoner of an enchanted castle with a beast-like creature. She sighed and rolled in her bed._"A sorrowful beast-like creature."_ She reminded herself. It was her duty to make him happy. _"My duty?"_ She thought. She rolled back towards the nightstand and looked at the flowers. Stargazer lilies mean ambition. Lilacs mean first love. And irises mean hope. _"Hope?"_ She touched her back. _"Hope…. I am always a sign for hope. Aren't I?"_ She thought; then drifted off to sleep.

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**well there you go! that's chapter four of A Beauty And A Beast! I hope you enjoyed it! and here's the cast for this chapter:**

**Belle: Esther**

**Prince/Beast: Abel**

**Lumeire/Cogsworth: Leon**

**Lumeire/Cogsworth: William**

**Mrs. Potts: Catrina**

**Chip: Ion**

**Wardorbe: Noélle**

**Maid: Kate**

**Chef: Vaclav Havel **

**Gardener(OC in Beauty and the Beast plot line): Hugue de Watteau**

**Stable Runner(OC in Beauty and the Beast plot line): Tres Iqus **

**Philippe: as himself!**

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	5. How Long Must This Go On?

woohoo! i updated! sorry for the long wait. i've been really busy!! okayi just hope that you like it and dontforget to review!

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Chapter 5: How Long Must This Go On?

Esther woke up to the rays of warm sunshine and the nice smell of flowers. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the rays of sunlight. She blinked a bit and got used to the light. She looked to her right and saw the vase of flowers on her dresser. She sighed as she remembered who and why she picked them. She rolled over in her bed to look away from them. She shivered. The morning was cold. She pulled her blankets closer to her chin.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door and the squeaking of the door opening. She looked to see Kate as she walked inside her room.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head! Today is a beautiful morning! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and breakfast is ready." She said.

Esther groaned and pulled the covers over her head. "I'm not going to eat with him. Let me sleep."

"Awe! Come on! Vaclav made a special breakfast in honor of your arrival! You're going to come with me whether you like it or not." Kate said as she tore the blankets off of Esther.

"Eekk!" She screamed at the sudden lost of warmth. She clung to her own body for body heat as her teeth began to chatter.

Kate threw the covers into the corner. "Come on, now! You must eat. You'll die if you don't."

"Maybe it's better that I die." Esther said as she curled into a ball and pouted.

"Don't say that." Kate snapped at her. "Oh, Noélle!" She gasped as she looked at the doorway. There, Noélle, who crossed her arms in front of her stomach, came into the room.

"Esther, you shouldn't speak like that. Life is a very precious." She said. Concern covered her face.

"I know. I understand. Both of my parents were taken away from me by the cold-hearted Death." Esther said. She sighed as she remembered the horror-filled night.

"Both? But weren't you talking about missing your mother last night?" Kate asked.

"Well, the one I was talking about last night was my adopted mother. When I was five, my house was burnt down. It was so scary. I escaped the death consuming flames by jumping out the widow, but my parents weren't as fortunate." Esther explained.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kate said.

"It's all right. I'm fine." She said and crawled out of bed. She stretched; then said, "I'm ready to go now."

"Not dressed like that you're not." Noélle said as she came into the room from the closet with a green dress.

Esther looked down at herself to see the white nightgown she was wearing as a blush grew on her face.

* * *

Esther was seated at the head in front of a grand table. She was in a grand dinning room. A chandelier was over the center of the table. A fireplace was on her right. Paintings and their frames were nailed to the wall. She looked at the other end of the table to see Abel as William seated him. He looked up at her. She saw that calm winter-blue of his eyes––only for a second. She quickly looked away at her golden spoon and plate settings. She could have sworn she had heard him snort faintly. She looked back up at him to see that he was looking away from her as she had been doing only seconds before.

The doors to the kitchen behind her suddenly opened as Kate brought in a silver platter of tea. She served Esther first. She set a teacup and saucer next to her plate. She poured the brown tea, which had a light tint of red, into Esther's cup deftly. "One or two, Esther?" She asked.

"Two." Esther sheepishly replied.

Kate smiled and dropped two sugar cubes into her teacup. They already had started to dissolve in the hot tea. She walked over to Abel at the other end.

Esther took the golden spoon in her hand and stirred the sugar cubes into the tea. She watched Kate as Kate served him his tea. She watched her put the sugar cubes into his tea. She lifted her teacup to her lips as she counted the cubes of sugar. _"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven! Eight. Nine. Ten! Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen!"_ Esther nearly choked on her tea, but she recover quickly before she had made a scene. _"Thirteen cubes of sugar! Is she mad? Does she want to be killed?"_ She still watched as Abel took his spoon and stirred the sugary mess of tea. He took the cup to his lips and took at sip. Esther flinched in expecting and explosion of his scratchy voice. But nothing came. _"Don't tell me that he likes his tea like that?" _She thought as she took another sip of her own tea.

The doors behind her opened once again as Vaclav came in as he pushed a cart of that morning's breakfast. He placed a bowl on both of their plates. He backed up and said, "Apple oatmeal seasoned with our fineness cinnamon and sugar. With a side dish of baked apples and eggs. Bón appétte." Vaclav said as he bowed.

"Thank you." Esther said with a quiet voice as Vaclav left the room and back to the kitchen. She picked up her spoon and scooped some of the warm oatmeal with it. She brought it to her mouth and blew the stream away from it. She put the spoon to her mouth and ate some. Her mouth lit up. It was delicious. She swallowed it. "You have a very good chef." She said.

"I thank you." He said. His voice was raspy.

"And your maid––Kate––makes a fine cup of tea." She said as she lifted her teacup to her lips and took another sip from the cup.

"I thank you again." He said and ate more of his meal.

There rest of the meal was eaten in silence. Neither of them said a word.

* * *

"William, would you care to continue the tour which we had started last night?" Esther asked as she and he walked out of the dinning room. Abel had rudely left her as soon as he was down with his meal. She was hurt, yes, but only a little. She was glad that she didn't have to see him.

"Certainly, Miss, I shall." He replied gentleman-like. Leon walked around the corner as he carried a beautiful urn. "Ah, Leon! Just in time. Miss Esther wishes to continue on our tour from last night. Care to join?"

"I better. Or else you will get us into trouble again." Leon said as he placed the urn on side table next to the wall of the hallway.

"Me? Get _us_ into trouble? I believe it's the other way around, my friend." William told him.

"Yeah, right." Leon said with sarcasm. "You and one of your failure inventions always seem to get us into big trouble, if not with Abel, with Kate!"

"Well, it's because of your sour attitude that makes everything worse!" William explained. "And not all of my inventions are failures." He added.

Leon snorted.

Esther giggled. She could sense the deep friendship between them.

* * *

"Here we have the ball room." William said as he, Esther, and Leon walked into the room. Esther looked at the room in awe, yet in curiosity. It was grand, yes, but it was a wreck. The grand curtains of the grand glass doorway to the balcony were ripped and torn. Piles of dust were on the once beautiful dance floor. Broken tables and chairs were scattered around the floor as well. The beautiful chandelier was caked with dust and cobwebs laced.

"It's so…" Esther began as she walked toward the middle of the dance floor. She could imagine the noble couples dancing around her. It was like she was really in the middle of a ball, except the couple had a more magical appeal to them. She could see someone approaching her. He was tall and skinny. He had long silvery hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail, his eyes were a wintry-blue, and a pair of glasses was set on his nose. Esther had never seen a man so hansom as him before. He came up to her and kneeled before her as he took her hand and placed a kiss on it. He looked up with her wintry-blue eyes and said in a calm voice, "May I have this dance?" Esther looked down. She was wearing a beautiful white gown fit for a queen.

"Grand?" William asked as he stood behind her.

The imaginary party vanished into thin air. The guests sparkled and were blown air by a magical wind. The hansom man was last to go. He was smiling up at Esther as the magical wind blew him away. "Dirty." She informed him as she recovered from her daydream. "And a wreck." She said as she glared at the rubbish on the floor. She turned around and stopped. The green bottom of her dress swished at her ankles. "What happened here?"

William sighed. "A lot."

"A lot?" She questioned.

"Abel… he… um… it's best if he tells you himself. I don't know the full story, but he does. You should ask him." William told her.

She crossed her arms in front of her stomach and pouted slightly. "Why do you Methuselah keep telling me to go ask Abel? I told you that I don't want anything to do with him."

"Ah, but, Miss Esther, didn't you pick some flowers for him?" William asked.

"I did," she hesitated, "but only because you both asked me to, not because I wanted to."

"So, have you given them to him yet?" Leon asked as he leaned against one of the many pillars that were along the side the east and west walls.

"No. I haven't. But I shall give them to him after dinner. I promise." She said as she smiled at the two of them. She walked over to them. "I dare say it is passed noon. When shall he have lunch?"

"Right now, Miss Esther!" A cute voice called from the doorway.

The three of them looked to see a little girl, around the age of 9 or 10, standing in front of the doorway.

"Seth!" Esther gasped and rushed over to the little girl. "Let's go and eat. Shall we?" She asked.

Seth to her hand and walked with her back to the dinning hall in the east wing. "Yes! Let's go."

Leon and William followed behind them.

"So, Seth. I didn't see you this morning. Where were you?" Esther asked.

"Oh, me? I was just sleeping. I don't really like to eat in the morning anyway. It makes me sick." Seth replied simply, yet of maturity.

'Oh, that's too bad. Are you feeling okay now?" Esther asked.

"Oh, yes! I couldn't be better!" She exclaimed as she smiled up at Esther.

Leon frowned at Seth's smile at Esther. He knew it was a fake.

* * *

William opened to the door to the dinning hall for Esther and Seth. Esther smiled at him and said, "Thank you." She and Seth walked into the room.

"Ah! Big Brother!" Seth exclaimed and let go of Esther's hand and rushed over to Abel who sat in his usual chair at the head of the table.

"Big Brother?" Esther whispered.

Abel turned his head as Seth ran up to him. He stood up as Seth hugged his legs. He looked down at her, flabbergasted. Esther could see his long sharp fangs as he gasped. "Seth, what are you doing out of bed?" His raspy voice asked. Anger was hinted in his tone of voice.

"What are you talking about, Abel? I've come for lunch!" Seth told him with a cute smile.

"Go back to bed immediately." He said coldly.

Esther snapped at this. "She wants to eat lunch with you! Are you that cold as to reject her?"

He looked up and glared at Esther. "For your information, Seth is very ill at the moment! She had a fever last night and I don't want her to up out of bed yet!" He yelled at her.

Esther looked away. She felt sorry for yelling at him. He had every right to.

"Leon!!" Abel barked.

Leon stepped forward from the doorway. "Yes?'

"Take Seth back to her room."

"All right." Leon walked over to Seth and took her gentle by the hand. "Come on, Princess. Let's go back now." Seth pouted as she took his hand.

"William!!" Abel growled.

William stepped forward from the doorway as Leon and Seth walked out of it. "Yes, Abel."

"Tell Vaclav to send up a small portion of today's meal to Seth with some medicine for her fever." Abel said.

"Right away." William said and walked across the room and into the kitchen.

As soon as William had gone through the door, Abel looked at Esther, who stood in between him and the door to the hallway. He pointed to the seat across from him––the one she had sat in this morning. "You can sit now." His raspy voice said.

"Uh, sure." She said and walked over to the seat and sat in it. "Uh, so Seth is your sister?"

"Yes." He replied quickly.

"Do you have any other siblings?" She asked as she looked at her place settings.

"Don't talk to me." He replied.

She looked up at him astonished. She looked at his face. His brow was furrowed in anger. His once blue eyes were in a sea of red. _"What a rude man! Or shall I say monster!!"_

* * *

Night had fallen. The wind had begun to pick up. Another storm was coming. William and Leon were continuing on showing Esther the rest of the place.

They were walking down a hallway lined with lines of knight's armor. "Now as you can see the pseudo-façade was stripped away to reveal a minimalist rococo design. Note the unusual inverted vaulted ceilings. This yet another example of the late neoclassic baroque period and, as I always say, if it's not_ baroque_ don't fix it." William chuckled at his little joke; then continued, "Uh, were was I? No then, if I can draw your attention to the fly buttresses above the… Uh, Miss?" He looked to see that she had vanished.

Esther had wandered off a bit before them. She was before a case of grand marble steps. She curiously looked up them. She wandered where the led too. She took a step in order to find out. She took another and another. Then suddenly, something landed in front of her feet two stairs up from her. It looked like a body of someone. That body stood up. It was Leon.

"Miss Esther, you wouldn't want to go up there." He said. William ran up the few steps behind Esther to join him.

"What's up there?" She curiously asked as she tried to look around them, but did she see the darkness of the shadows.

"Where? There? Oh, nothing, absolutely nothing of interest of all in the west wing. Dusty, dull, very boring." William said as Leon nodded in agreement with a sly smile.

"Ah so _that's_ the west wing!" She said as she looked back up into the dark shadows.

"Nice going." Leon hissed at William, as William turned pale.

"I wonder what he's got hiding up there?" She said as she tried to walk around them to get a better look into the shadows.

"Hiding? Abel is hiding nothing!" Leon said.

"Then it wouldn't be forbidden." Esther said as she slipped passed them.

William and Leon quickly ran in front of her to stop her. Perhaps, uh, Miss Esther, you would like to, uh-uh, uh… see something else. We have exquisite tapestries dating all the way back to…" William began.

"Maybe later." Esther said as she slipped pass them again and up the stairs. They used their vampire powers and flew passed her and stopped in front of her again.

"Th-The library! How about that?" Leon suggested.

"You have a library!" That sparked her interest.

"Oh, yes indeed!" William assured.

"With books!" Leon exclaimed.

"Scads of books." William told her as he followed her back down the stairs.

"Mountains of books!" Leon said as he followed them down the stairs.

"Forests of book."

"Cascades!"

"Longboats."

"Swamps of books!"

"More books than you could ever imagined." William said as he and Leon passed Esther and walked down the hallway, each of them thinking that Esther was following them.

However, once they where far enough down the hallway, Esther took her chance to explore the west wing. She climbed up the stairs deftly. _"Really? What is he hiding?"_ She wondered as she wandered up the steps. She came to the top of the stairs and walked down the hallway to her right. Disturbing statues deck the hallway. It was dark and she could feel a cold breeze coming from the other end of the hallway. She walked through it. She was startled at the creepy statues and the cracked mirrors on the walls. This placed looked so sinister, yet, she want to explore more.

She walked up to a tall door and reached for its handle. She hesitated and drew back. She looked behind her to see if anyone was watching. She didn't see anyone so she turned back to the door. She grabbed the handle and turned it. She pulled the door open with a soft creak. She looked inside the room. It was dark and cold. The place was really a wreck. It looked like a battlefield. Worn and destroyed. The tapestries, which were hand from the ceiling, were torn and tattered. Furniture was scattered about; broken like fallen men. Dust and cobwebs claimed them as their homes.

She walked inside.

In one sense the room was like a jungle. The tapestries were strung across the room like vines. Some of the broken furniture lean against one another and some leaned against the wall, looking as to be tall trees each hiding some dangerous.

As she walked she looked at the large room. There were painting and art thrown on the wall. She turned to look from her left and right as she continued to walk. She didn't notice the small round table in front of her. She bumped into it. It began to fall. She reached for it and caught it before it could have hit the fall and made a noise. She set it back right and continued her journey deeper.

She looked over to her right and saw a grand bed. This bed, as like the rest of the room, was practically destroyed. The canopy over it was tattered and ripped. One of the bedposts was bent. The bed's blankets were of silver-grey fur and red-velvet. The bed looked more of a dark cave then an actual bed.

She turned around to see a painting. The painting was ripped by claws––it seemed––but one could tell it was a portrait: a portrait of a man with wintry-blue eyes and silver hair. She ventured over to it. _"He looks familiar. He looks like that man in my daydream."_ She thought as she moved a piece, which hung onto the portrait with all of its strength, to connect the face to reveal the person's face.

But something startled her. She dropped the piece as she looked over her right. There was an opened balcony. A voice came from it, but there was no one––from what she could see––was there. It was someone singing. His voice was a tenor's voice and it was rich and beautiful.

_"How long must this go on?_

_This cruel trick of fate?_

_I simply made one careless wrong decision_

_And then the witch was gone_

_And left me in this state_

_An object of revulsion and derision_

_Hated..._

_Is there no one_

_Who can show me_

_How to win the world's forgiveness?"_

The person sounded sad. He sounded so alone. Esther walked over to the balcony to see who it was. But a bright pink light caught her attention. She looked to her right and by the bed was a little round table, much like one she almost knocked over before. There was a sparkling, glowing, full-blossomed pink rose that floated in a round, glass case. She walked over to it curiously and lifted the case off. She sent the case on the floor and reached for the rose.

A beastly shadow fell on her. She looked up and gasped. Standing in front of her was Abel. His wings folded slightly around him as he glared at her. He leaped in front of her and she backed up. He grabbed the glass case and put it back over the rose. He snarled and looked at her. "Why did you come here?" He asked.

"I'm… I'm sorry." She replied as she backed up.

"I warned you never to come here." He growled as he approached her.

"I didn't mean any harm."

"Do you realize what you could have done?!" He shouted. "Get out!"

She turned and ran. She ran to the door and pushed it open. She ran down the hallway as the voice followed her, "Get out!!!!!!"

Abel looked at the door. Regret filled his face. He turned and looked outside. Snow began to fall and it fell fast.

A knock came to his door.

"Go away." He moaned.

"But, Abel, I have something for you." A voice replied as Kate came it.

"Just leave me alone." He said.

"It's from Esther. She wanted me to give you this." Kate said as he gave him the bouquet with the pink ribbon tried around it.

Abel took it. "What have I done?" He murmured.

* * *

Esther, who wore her cloak, rode Philippe into the woods. She was going back to her home. She was going back to her mother. Promise or no promise, she could not stay there any longer. The snow fell quickly and it had already begun to pile up. She was riding in a blizzard. She rode into the woods. Philippe was acting strangely. She looked around to see why. She saw and heard it: the snarling of wolves!

* * *

hahaha cliffie i know you're gonna hate me for this but sorry that's all we have time for! until next time! 


	6. With Me

**here you guys go! A brand new chapter! sorry for the long update. basketball season just finish so i have a bit more free time now but i still have school and school projects and updating events to take care of! so i hope you enjoy this 3183 word long chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 6: With Me

Esther looked and saw wolves as they bared their noisome teeth and snarled at her as they surrounded her. She dug her heels into Philippe's sides to make him move. He turned away from the wolves and cantered down into the woods as the wolves chased after them. Philippe leapt over a fallen tree, which was covered in snow, and they leapt over it as well. He galloped up a slanted rock, which seemed to be growing out from the ground, and jumped from the edge of it. His hooves landed in the soft snow and then he continued to canter.

Some of the wolves had begun to catch up. They were practically nipping at his heels. One wolf managed to get on the side of Philippe. It jumped upwards and went to bite him. Philippe let out a terrified whinny. Esther pulled and jerked his reigns to make him move to the left, the side the wolf was on. The wolf had no choice but to move to the left as well and in doing so he hit the tree that he didn't see.

Esther made Philippe run a bit more straight down the path. They came to a clearing. It was covered with white powdery snow. The wind and snow still whipped her face. She turned and saw the wolves as they bounded after them. She looked ahead again to see that they were in the clearing. However, she soon found out that it wasn't a clearing that they had reached, but a frozen lake! The ice had cracked under Philippe's weight and Esther had screamed. The wolves still continued to chase them. The freezing water was up to both of their necks. He frantically swam forward to shore.

The some of the wolves were smart enough to get on the rest of the still frozen ice around Esther and Philippe to continue their chase, but others weren't as fortunate as they whimpered and tried to swim in the freezing water.

Philippe managed to get to shore. He climbed out of the water and ran down the path in the woods. The weather was even colder now that their bodies were wet with cold water and the whipping wind wasn't much help. Esther looked ahead and saw that there were still more wolves after them! They stopped in front of Philippe and barked and growled at him. He stopped immediately and because of the sudden stop, Esther was thrown off of his back. She flew in the air and landed on her stomach into the cold, powdery snow. Her once tied back red-hair had fallen into her eyes. She looked up and saw that Philippe's reigns had got snagged on the low branch above him.

The wolves barked and snarled as they stood in a circle around the horse. One wolf, who was behind Philippe, jumped to attack him, but he kicked it away with his back legs. Another wolf jumped on top of his back on his saddle and barked at him.

Esther took action. She broke a branch off the nearest tree to her and charged at thee wolf that was on Philippe's back. She hit it away and it flew off. She reached up and grabbed the snagged reigns to free them. She pulled on them, but they wouldn't budge. She looked back at the pack of snarling wolves. She tightened her grip on her stick as she narrowed her eyes at them. She will fight them if she must.

The slowly approached her. Some licked their lips. One went to nip her heel, but she hit it with her stick. She swung her stick at any wolf that approached her, until one wolf was smart enough to bite the stick and break it. She gasped. A wolf bounced and dug its teeth into her cloak. It pulled her down as she spun around awkwardly as she rolled her ankle. The pain rose up her leg as she winced. She looked at the wolf that held in its mouth her cloak. She tried to pull it away from the wolf, but it failed. She heard the snarling of another wolf. She looked at her feet to see another wolf as it approached her. She screamed at the wolf as it bounced onto her. It dug its claws into her clothing and skin. She screamed some more. Red liquid began to stain her clothes and the fresh, white snow. _"ABEL!!!!! HELP ME!!!"_ She shouted inside her head.

Suddenly, the wolf was hit away by something red. Esther looked up to see Abel as he stood there in front of her. A blood-red scythe was in his hands and his black wings were curled a bit around him. He looked down at her. Burnt-red eyes met her sapphire ones. He quickly turned and looked at wolves. It was like he was her shield, her guardian. He growled at the wolves and swung his scythe. It hit––not cut––half of the wolves and they were pushed away. He swung again and this time the wolves were flung into the air. One wolf crept up behind him and attacked him. It bit his right shoulder.

Abel roared at the pain. He grabbed the wolf and flung it off of his body. It landed in the snow, on its back. Another wolf jumped and bit his arm while another bit his leg. Esther watched in great horror at the battle. Philippe had run away. Abel had cut him loose with his scythe.

Abel flung the wolves off of his body. They landed in the snow and yelped. They knew that they weren't cut out for the battle and they ran away with their tails between their legs.

Abel watched them retreat for a while; then, he turned around to face Esther, who was sitting in the ground. He breathed out and his breath was like fog from the bitter cold. He looked at her face: it was pale and it showed great pain and concern, along with a bit a fear. His burnt-red eyes returned to normal and he approached her. "Are you all right?" He asked.

She nodded gently, amazed at what just happened. "I think so." She said as she started to get up. She managed to stand on her two feet. However, she became light-headed and her vision blurred. "Thank you." She whispered as she fell forward.

He quickly ran and caught her body before she had hit the ground. "Esther!" He gasped. He turned her body over to get a look at her face. Her eyes were closed and she was pale but her cheeks were as red as her hair. "Esther, please wake up. Esther, answer me. Esther!" He called to her as he shook her body. She didn't answer. She had passed out.

. Abel looked up into the sky. The snowstorm had stopped, but the sky was still cloudy. He spread his wings and leapt into the air. He flapped his wings a few times as he ascended into the sky. _"Esther, please hold on."_

* * *

Abel kicked open the front door of his castle. He walked inside and looked to see Catrina, Kate, William, Leon, Noélle, Ion, and Vaclav all standing in the entrance way.

"You found her!"

"Oh thank goodness!"

"Is Miss Esther okay?"

"Thank God, Abel! I was so freakin' worried!"

"We were all very worried."

"Miss Esther isn't hurt now, is she?"

"What can I do to help?"

Each one of them asked at the same time. Abel rolled his eyes and shouted, "Get me some hot water, a cloth, a new set of cloths, and medicine!!!!" He plowed through the group of Methuselah and took off toward her room.

When he reached her room, he kicked the door open with his foot and walked over to her bed. He set her down on her bed gently. Immediately, he reached for the clasp to her cloak and undid it. He pulled it away from her cold, wet body and tossed it away, onto to the floor. He unbuttoned the buttons in the front of her green dress and pulled that soaked with blood and water dress off of her. He tossed that aside as well. He looked at her body. She had on only her slip on. He could practically see her sink through the white slip because it was wet. He looked away as Kate, Catrina, and Noélle rushed into the room.

Kate pushed Abel out of the way as Noélle followed. They took off her slip. Esther was breathing heavily and sweat covered her face. Catrina placed a hand on her face and onto her own brow.

"She has a fever." Catrina told them as William, who had a pot of hot water in hands, and Leon, who had a bucket of well water, came inside.

"How is she?" William asked as they passed the pot of hot water and the wooden bucket of cold water to Noélle and Kate. Kate dipped the cloth that she had into the open pot of hot water. She pulled it out and rung it over the pot. Then she placed it onto Esther's wounds.

"She has a fever and some cuts."

Leon clenched his fists and furrowed his brow in anger. He looked at Abel, ashamedly hung his head, and walked up to him. "This is all your fault! If only you were nicer to her!" He yelled.

"Leon, stop it." William said as he walked over to him.

Leon looked over his shoulder, "No!" He looked back at Abel, "I can't believe you! You bastard!"

"Leon, that's enough!" Noélle snapped as she looked up from bandaging Esther's cuts.

"No." A scratchy, yet soft, voice said. They all looked at Abel as Abel looked down at his claw like fingers. "He's right. Absolutely right. If only didn't shut her away from me. Now look at what I've done." Bloody tears ran down his cheeks. "I'm so horrible, so_horrifying_, that I don't even deserve to live."

They didn't say a word. They didn't know what to say or even how to say it. They just continued to fixed up Esther and give her the proper treatment.

* * *

Once they were finished, they let alone with her. He had pulled up a chair and sat in it right next to her bed. She was tucked in her bed and breathing some what normally. Her face was still pale and a wet cloth was on her forehead. He regretted that he drove her away. Now all that he wants is that she will be okay. "Esther, please wake up. Please." He said as he grabbed her hand.

* * *

She was running. She didn't know from what, but she did know that she was scared. It was dark and cold. She fell and landed on her face. She turned to lie on her back. She heard snarling, coming from two creatures, each snarl was beast-like.

Hurt. She was hurting. Her ankle killed.

Cold. She was cold, so very cold.

Numb. She was beginning to feel numb.

She looked down. She saw something red. It was a red liquid. It was on her chest and stomach. She touched it. It was blood! She was bleeding. Suddenly, she felt sick, so very sick. Her head and ankle throbbed and she wanted to puke. Her body was so cold and numb. She thought she was dying. She blinked slowly in tiredness. She felt warmer. She reopened her eyes to see silver and black feathers surrounding her.

_Esther…_

Someone was calling her name. The voice surrounded familiar.

_Esther, please wake up. Please._

It sounded so worried. Whose voice is this?

_Please, Esther, don't die on me now. Please. You can't die._

"I'm not going to die. Not now." She said.

_Wake up, Esther! Wake up! I'm begging you!_

* * *

Esther slowly opened her eyes to see a blurred image of a ceiling. She blinked and adjusted her vision.

"Oh thank goodness." A voice said, a rather _scratchy_ voice. She turned her head to see a very worried Abel as he looked down at her.

"You… You saved me?" She asked as she recalled the moments of what happened.

"Yes. Yes, I did." He replied in a dazed manor. She looked down at her hand to see that one of his clawed hands held it. He looked down as well and he released her hand. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She replied as she looked away.

"How are you feeling?"

She looked up at him. "I'm okay." She sniffled. She felt a lump form in her throat. She swallowed hard to get rid of it, but it didn't disappear. Tears formed in her eyes. All the shock and drama swept through her like a ton of bricks. She let her tears fall. One by one, they rolled down her cheek. "I…I…I was so scared! I thought I was going to die!" She shook a bit as she sobbed.

He looked down at her speechless. He grabbed her right hand and squeezed it. "It's all right now. It's over. You're safe with me."

* * *

Meanwhile, while all this had been taking place, a certain man, who sitting at a small table in a dark corner of a local tavern, took a drink from a glass of filled with red wine. There was a shorter man sitting next to him. He too also had a cup of wine in his hands.

The taller man set his glass down on the table as he smiled slyly at the man across the table from him. This man was paled-skin and had long blue-black hair. His eyes were narrow and he wore a crooked grin on his face. In his hand, he held a goblet-like wine glass that had pure red-wine inside.

"I don't usually leave the church in the middle of the night," the paled-skin man spoke as he moved his hand––that held the wine glass––in circles, making the red-liquid inside of it turn and swirl, "but he said that you'd make it worth my while." He lifted the glass to his lips and formally took a sip from the glass.

Dietrich reached for his belt and removed a sack from it. He looked at the man and tossed it cross the table. As it was thrown, coin jingled inside. It landed in front of the man. The man set his glass on the table and opened the sack. "Interesting," he said as he pulled out a golden coin and examined its luster, "I'm listening."

"It's like this," Dietrich said as he leaned over the wooden table. He looked around the room in the corners of his eyes to see if they were truly alone. They were. He looked back at the man, "I have a certain girl whom I wish to marry. Her name's Esther." He drew back and rested his arm on the table. "But she needs a little… persuasion, if you may say."

Porter chuckled as he grabbed the greenish bottle of red wine. "That woman turned him down flat!" He said and poured some more wine for himself. Then, instead of putting the bottle back on the table, he took a drink straight from the bottle.

Dietrich glared at him and elbowed him in the head, making Porter slip some of his wine. Dietrich looked back at the man and continued, "Everyone knows that her mother is a witch. Just yesterday morning an explosion came from her house of black smoke. Yet the house isn't burned."

"Laura is harmless."

Dietrich stood up and banged on the table. "Magic! That's what she was doing. She was practicing magic!"

"Mr. von Lohengrin, please. Your composure."

Dietrich settled down. As he sat back down, he said, "Forgive me, Mr. von Kämpfer."

"Not at all. Continue."

"The point is that Esther would do anything to keep her from beginning burned at the stake." Dietrich said as he gained his business composure back.

"Yeah, even marry him." Porter remarked as he drank more from the bottle.

Dietrich glared down at Porter once again and prepared to slap him upside the head. Porter cowered in fear as he moved a bit away from him.

"So you want me burn her mother at the stake, unless she agrees to marry you?" Isaak Fernand von Kämpfer said as ran his fingers through the pile of golden coins in the sack, making each coin jingle as he picked it up and released it.

Dietrich crossed his rest in front of his chest and smiled slyly at him.

"Oh, that's despicable." Isaak said as he pretended to be sorrowful. He laughed mincingly. "I love it!"

* * *

Back at Laura's house, Laura was busily knitting a scarf for herself. She was in her living room, warming up next to the hot fireplace. She was impatiently waiting for her adopted daughter's letter to arrive. Suddenly, she heard a familiar whinny. She looked up from her work and gasped, " Philippe?" She stood up and set her work on the table. She rushed out her house and shouted, "Esther!"

Laura came out of her front door and looked at the path in front of her house to see Philippe. She ran over to Philippe and asked, "Philippe, where's Esther? What happened? We have to go find her!" She said and raced in side. She grabbed a warm winter shawl and a bag. She threw a bit of necessary supplies inside of it and rushed outside to Philippe. She mounted him and rode into the ominous woods.

Laura hadn't realized it, but just as she left a carriage pulled up to her house. The driver pulled on the horses' reigns and stopped them. They neighed as they stopped. Dietrich hopped off the seat next to Isaak, who was the driver, and ran up the stone steps to Laura's house. He pounded on the door and when no one answered, he opened the door. "Esther! Laura!" He called, but no one answered, because no one was home.

"Oh well," Porter chuckled as he came into the dark house with a lantern, "I guess it's not going to work after all." He began to walk back outside.

Dietrich came up behind him and picked him up from the collar of his shirt. "They have to come home sometime," he said as he walked down the stairs, "and when they do, we'll be ready for them." Dietrich wasn't on the stairs anymore. He turned and dropped Porter into a pile of snow next to the stairs. "Porter, don't move from that spot," Dietrich turned and hopped into the seat next to Isaak on the carriage as it began to move, "until Esther and her mother come home."

"But, but… I," Porter pleaded as he watched the carriage drive away. "Aw, nuts!" He exclaimed at he hit the small tree behind him. The snow that was once on top of the tree's branches slipped off and landed on top of Porter's head, completely barring that poor fool.

* * *


	7. A Change In Me

Chapter 7: A Change In Me

Esther walked through the snow-covered gardens. She admired the frostbitten magically alive flowers and how they glistened in the sunlight. Ion and Katie, who both wore capes with hoods to protect their skins from the UV rays, walked with her. Ion ran before the two women and over to a small flower plant. He picked a frostbitten daffodil; then, he ran over to Esther. He held up the flower and said, "For you."

"Oh, why, thank you, Ion." Esther said as she took it from him. "That's very kind of you.

"You're welcome!" He replied as he wore a childish grin on his face.

As all this was taking place, a certain crusnik was watching from the balcony above. Abel watched dreamingly at Esther as she walked. He sighed. About a month had passed since Esther had arrived at his castle and he seemed to have taking a liking to her. "I've never felt this way about anyone." He muttered under his breath. He looked at William, who stood by his side, and gave him a determined, yet childish, look as Abel said, "I want do something for her." Abel's expression softened as he asked, "But what?"

William took his pipe out of his mouth and breathed out some smoke. "Well, there's the usual things: flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep…" William began his list.

"No, no! No!" Leon interrupted, "It has to be something very special and very romantic. Something that sparks her interest," he though for a moment, "Ah! I know!"

* * *

Abel let Esther down a sunlit hallway. He stopped at a door. He looked at her, as gently as he could in his beast-like form. "Esther, there's something that I want to show you." He turned to the door and opened it slightly.

"What is it?" Esther leaned forward to get a good look inside, but jumped back when he suddenly closed it and looked back at her.

"But first, you must close you eyes." He told her.

"My eyes?" She asked as she gave him a questioning look.

"It's a surprise." He explained.

She sighed and did as she was told. To make sure that her eyes were closed, Abel waved a hand up in front of her face. When she didn't respond, he turned back to the doors and opened them. He turned back to her and took her hands. He felt her shudder at his cold hands. He led her inside the dark room. "Can I open them?" She asked as she was blindly led into the room.

"No, no. Not yet." He told her as he led her to the center of the room. When they had reached the center, he said, "Wait here." He dropped her hands and turned around. He walked over to the large windows and drew back the curtains, allowing the sunlight to flood into the room. He drew back the other set of curtains. The sunlight had begun to reveal just what that room was.

"Now can I open them?" Esther asked as she wondered just where she was.

"You can." He told her as he looked at her. His eyes were a peaceful blue. He still had fangs, claws, and a halo of silver hair, but his wings were gone and his eyes weren't glowing red.

Esther opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw. The grand room was almost just as big as the ballroom that she had seen just the other day after recovering from her cold that fateful night. Books lined the high walls from top to bottom. "I can't believe it! I never seem so many books in my life."

"Do you like it?" He asked her. He sincerely hoped that she would.

"It's wonderful!" She told him.

"Then it's yours."

She looked at him. "Mine? Oh, I couldn't accept such a generous gift. Am I not your prisoner? I'm not allowed to have such a luxury…"

"I'm giving it to you. I want you to have it and be sides, you are more of a guest than you are a prisoner." He explained to her.

"Thank you very much." She told him. If she weren't so strong, she probably would have cried.

"You're welcome." He said as he took her hands in his and looked down as her with such compassion that no one had ever seen.

From the partly opened doors, Leon, Noélle, Kate, William, Caterina, Ion, and Seth all watched the two of them. "Oh, would you look at that!" Kate gasped quietly.

"I knew it would work!" William exclaimed.

"It was my idea." Leon grumbled.

"What? What worked?" Seth asked.

As she began to leave the doorway, Caterina told Kate, "It's very encouraging."

"It's wonderful." Noélle said as she walked away with the others.

"I didn't see anything." Ion told Kate.

"Come along, Princess Seth, Ion, let's leave the two lovebirds alone." Kate said as she scooted the two children away from the library.

* * *

Before the two knew it, it was the next day. Abel and Esther were seated in the dinning room as Vaclav served them breakfast. Kate served them tea and she put Abel's normal amount–thirteen spoonfuls–of sugar in his tea and even more into his bowl of brown sugar oatmeal, making the oatmeal into a sugary mess.

Esther took a spoon full of her oatmeal and raised it to her mouth. She looked ahead of her and gasped at what she saw: Abel was practically inhaling the sugary oatmeal. He had heard her gasped and he looked up with oatmeal that was smeared at the corners of his mouth and a facial expression that said "What?"

Esther looked away, not knowing what to do or say.

Abel wiped his mouth with the back of his bare hand. Then, he continued eating, only this time a bit slower.

* * *

Abel had invited Ester to feed the birds before lunch. So there they were, outside in the snow as Esther held in her white dress, which was trimmed with a sky blue color, some bird feed as Abel stood next to her and watched her gently throw some feed at the small group of winter birds. The birds pecked at the feed.

"Abel," Esther began, "why don't you try?"

"Oh, no. I couldn't. I would just scare them away." He told her. Sorrow circled in his wintry-blue eyes.

"Nonsense. They wouldn't fear you." She told him. "Hold out your hands."

He obeyed and she dropped some bird feed in his clawed hands. He bent over and placed the back of his hands on the cold snow. The bird approached him, but they wouldn't take the feed. He moved closer to them, but they flew away a few feet. He moved even closer to them and held out his hands to them, but they flew away a bit farther. Sadness swept over his face.

Esther noticed something about him right there. Abel was kind. Sure, he didn't look it, but he was very kind. At first when she had met him, she thought him as a cruel and heart-less monster, but now she could see in him his true nature. She went to him and kneeled at his side. "Here I'll help you." She told him. She placed the rest of the feed in his hands and took some out of his hands. She placed it on the ground in a trail from the birds to his hands.

One small bluebird approached the trail of feed. It pecked at the feed, and then it hopped into Abel's hand and began to eat the feed there. He smiled up at her, his fangs showing off.

She just smiled back at him simply. She stood up and walked over to the nearest tree. She walked behind it and leaned her back against it. She sighed. These new feelings in her heart were a bit alarming to her. She had never thought that these feelings would ever be! She pulled the hood of her sky-blue cloak down from her head. She looked around the tree to look at Abel. He was surround by the birds, but this time it seemed that they had doubled. When the feed had run out, they began to peck at his head. He shrieked and tried to shoo the birds away, but it was vain. He tried to run away from the birds. But only did he run in circles, until he slipped in the snow and landed on his backside. That startled the birds and they flew away. Esther smirked at this as she watched.

An idea hatched in her brain. She scooped up some snow and before Abel could get out the words "I'm all right". A ball of snow hit him in the face. He wiped it away with his hand. "Esther!" He gasped.

She giggled.

He glared at her playfully as he smirked. He gathered in his arms a large bundle of snow and raised it over his head, but before he could have thrown it at her, she threw another one at him. It hit his face again and he dropped the large one right on top of his own head.

She laughed out aloud, harder than the first.

"I'm gonna kill you!" He teased as he jumped after her.

She shrieked and ran away from him. But before long, he caught up with her. He pinned her to the ground playfully. "I got you." He told you.

"I know." She said as she looked up at him. Another idea hatched in her brain. She reached up and began to tickle his sides. He chuckled at first.

"Stop." He told her. She wouldn't. "Come on, stop it." He told her as he rolled off of her and into the wet, cold snow. She didn't. She tickled him harder. It seemed that this _beast_ was very ticklish. His chuckle soon became a full-hearted laugh. A laugh of pure joy and love. "Please stop!" He exclaimed. His sides were shaking.

"No." She told him as she climbed on top of him and tickled him all over.

He got his revenge. He reached up and began to tickle her. When he hit her most ticklish spot (her waist) she automaticly stopped tickling him and rolled off of him, laughing.

"Oh, please stop it!" She told him.

"No, this is my revenge." He told her as he tickled her some more. She held her side, but his long fingers some how kept finding their way on her most ticklish parts on her waist. She rolled in the snow in a very unladylike manor.

"Please stop!" She begged. But it was useless. Abel didn't stop until he grew tired. Both of them breathed out smoke in the cold winter air. They both lay in the snow, panting. The looked up into the clear blue sky. Esther then began to move her arms and legs in the snow.

Abel, curious to see what on earth she was doing, looked down at her puzzled. "May I ask, what are you doing?"

"I'm making a snow angel." She told him with a sweet smile.

"A snow angel? What's that?" He asked, curious.

"You'll see." She said as she continued to move her arms and legs up and down in the snow. After an interval of not speaking, Esther spoke up, "But you know, the trickiest part in making a snow angel, is that there will always be that hand or foot print in it when you climb out."

Abel stood up. "Here." He said and reached his hand out to her. She sat up and took it. He pulled her out. They looked down at it. "It's beautiful." He told her.

"Yeah, just like a real angel." She shivered. "Abel, could we go back inside now? I'm getting cold."

"Sure."

* * *

Inside, the two of hem headed for the library, but on their way they ran into Kate. "Ah, Kate could you send some hot tea in the library." Abel asked. Coldness that was once in his voice seemed to have melted away.

"Right away, Your Highness." Kate said with a heartfelt smile. Then she skipped passed the two of them.

* * *

In the library, Leon or William (one of them) had stoked up a fire in the fireplace. Abel and Esther sat in a couch the faced the fireplace. Esther had picked out a book from the lower shelves. The book was _Romeo and Juliet_ by William Shakespeare. Esther read it to him. "Two households…" she began. Abel barely paid attention to the words of the story. All he could care about was the sound of her voice and those cute facial expressions that she would add in. He knew the story very well. He had read it before. The way she read was so intoxicating. He could listen to her for hours.

" 'She speaks,' Romeo continued, 'O speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head, as a winged messenger of heaven unto the white-upturned wondering eyes of mortals that fall back to gaze on him when he bestrides the lazy-passing clouds and sails upon the bosom of the air.'"

Kate came into the library with a cart of hot tea. She smiled at the two of them. She rolled the cart before them and left without saying a word.

" 'O Romeo, Romeo!' She cried. 'Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name: or, of thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, I shall no longer be Capulet.'"

* * *

Time quickly passed by and Esther now at the last line of the book: " 'For never was a story of such wore, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.'" She shut the book closed and sighed. She whipped the tears from her eyes. "That story always makes me cry." She told Abel.

"Yeah, but it's such a good story." He told her.

Esther took a deep breath and looked at the cart with the empty teapot and used teacups. "Um, Abel, I was wondering… how exactly did you become this way?"

He looked at her shocked. No one ever dared to ask him about it and it should stay that way. However, he was drawn to her beauty. He, this beast, was drawn to her beauty! He could not tell her. No, he must not! He didn't want to, but he did….

"It… it was a while ago. In honor of my thirteenth birthday, a ball was held. My twin brother was jealous of me for the fact that I received a special gift from an enchantress. It was a beautiful red rose that matched her hair. My sister also received one, but my brother did not.

"When she left, a terrible storm came upon the castle. Cold winds beat on the castle walls. A knock came on our door and an old lady was there with a red rose like the one my sister and I had received. I must admit that she did indeed look ugly and worthless. She asked my brother for one night's stay in the castle to be sheltered from the cold and in return she would give him the red rose in her hand.

"My brother used to be kind and loving, but after our mother died, he was heartbroken. He was cruel and wicked. He sneered at the offer and turned the old woman away. My sister and I pleaded for him to change his mind for this was a poor old woman who could die out in the cold. But he would not.

"At that moment, the old woman's haggard appearance melted away to reveal the beautiful, red-haired enchantress who had given my sister and I our roses. She told us that she had heard that the king-to-be of this land had grown cold-hearted, so she decided to test out the rumor for herself. When she had confirmed it to be true, she cast a spell upon the castle and all the staff members. She had turned the staff members into vampires. They became bloodthirsty and insane and killed most of the party guests. The ones who had escaped started the stories of what you hear of today.

"While our staff members were vampires, my brother, sister, and I had turned into something even more dangerous: Crusniks. We were insane and bloodthirsty as well. We killed most of our staff members, expect for the ones you see today.

"When I finally got a hold of my senses, I noticed that my brother had gone completely insane for he was trying to kill our sister. I saved her just in time, before she could have died. That is why she is so sickly. But even though he tried to kill her, she still loves her older brother very much.

"Before long I knew I must kill him with my own two hands, before he hurt anymore people. I chased him down. He was more powerful then me. I knew that I was risking my life on this, but even so, I continued to chase him."

Abel looked down at his hands. His hand shook greatly as he recalled what happened that night. "I killed him with my very own hands. And in atonement for my sins, I am the way you see me know. Shut off from the world; living in secret. That is my life, Esther, and it shall always be."

Esther looked at him in shock and sorrow. "You poor thing. Isn't there a way to free you from all of this?" She wanted to know. She wanted to help him. He did not deserved to live this life.

"There is only one way: 'something that is pure and genuine will break the spell.'" He answered. He stood up and narrowed his eyes in anger and sadness. "But what is pure and genuine in this world, Esther? I am a man with blood on his hands. A monster. You shouldn't be acquainted with me, Esther."

"But, Abel, even if you are a monster or a man with blood on his hands, I don't care. You are my friend, Abel." She told him as she stood up as well. She looked at him compassionately. "And nothing shall change that."

"A friend? Me?" He asked flabbergasted.

She nodded and smiled sweetly. She had seen the change herself. She had judged him completely and utterly wrong. She had grown to like this man. He was her friend: one that she had longed for such a long time.

* * *

hello! sorry for not updating sooner. now that science fair, acdamic day, and basketball have finally passed, my free time has grown longer. i still have finals at the end of may and softball, but softball isn't that much to worry about and finals aren't until the end of may. but i do have a few fieldtrips with my school and our spring program. plus i have other stories to write.

with all that said, i'd like to thank all my reviewers. and if you are a fellow reader, please review. I love them! it makes me warm and fuzzy inside when I read them :3

thanks for choosing and reading my story! now click that review button at review!!

p.s. i'll try to update soon!


	8. His Eyes

Chapter 8:

Chapter 8: His Eyes

The castle was very busy. Everyone was doing his, and her, share to clean up the castle. For that night was Abel's twenty-first birthday. Ion ran down the hall with a bundle of old curtains in his hands. He darted around a corner and collided with another small body. Both bodies fell backwards with an "oomph!" The bundles of curtains had fallen to the floor as Ion had fell. He looked up to see whom he had bumped into.

There on the floor was a little girl dressed in a green play dress. She stood up and rubbed her butt as she winced.

"Seth?" Ion asked as he stood up. "What are you doing?"

"Shhh! Don't be so loud!" Seth shushed him. She glanced around the room for anybody. No one was there. "All right. Follow me." She instructed in a whisper. He nodded as she pulled him into the kitchen door.

Inside the kitchen, numerous of good smells drifted inside. Vaclav was busily working at the stove and didn't notice the two children. Seth brought Ion over to the wooden table in the center of the kitchen. Ion's eyes widened at what he saw. On the table was the biggest cake he had ever seen!

Seth reached up and slid her finger across the cake. Icing gathered up on her finger and she brought in down to her mouth and ate it. She looked at Ion slyly and he did the same.

Suddenly, Vaclav turned around and saw the two children eating his masterpiece. "What do you two think your doing?" He asked in rage.

The two of them, who had icing on the corners of their mouths, froze in fear, as they looked up, wide-eyed, at the angry cook.

"Do you know how long that took me to make?" He asked as he slowly became more and more angry. "I should kill you two!" He reached for the two of them.

They ducked and ran for the kitchen door. They screamed for their lives as Vaclav chased after them. "Come back here you brats!" He yelled.

They ran out of the kitchen and into the hallway for their lives. They turned the corner and saw Esther as she came down the hall with a book in her hand. She looked up from her book and saw the two children running toward her and the very angry cook as he came around the corner. The two children ran and hid behind her legs.

Vaclav came to a stop once he saw Esther. "Oh, Miss!" He gasped.

"What is going on?" She asked him.

"I…uh…nothing, Miss Esther." He said in defeat for he could not tell Esther about the party. It was supposed to remain a secret from her. He looked down at the two children who poked theirs heads out from around Esther's legs. They stuck their tongue out at him. "Why I outta…" He muttered as he raised a fist next to his face. The two children flinched in fear of what was to come.

"Vaclav, is something the matter?" Esther asked him as she raised an eyebrow.

He dropped his fist. "Nothing. Pardon me, but I have work to do. Excuse me." He said and turned around. Then he marched back to the kitchen.

After she had watched him disappear around the corner, she asked to the two children, "All right! Now what was that about?" She bent over to look at the children in the eye, but they were gone. "Huh?" She looked down the hall and they were running away from her. "Hey!" Then they turned around the corner and disappeared from her sight. She sighed and looked back at her open book. She continued to walk and read back to her room.

* * *

She opened the door to her room and walked inside. She looked inside the room and saw Noélle and Kate with tons of dresses. She raised an eyebrow at the two of them. "What are you two doing?" She asked.

They quickly looked at her as they gasped, "Esther!"

"So what are you two doing?" She asked as she waltzed over to the two of them.

They hid the dresses behind their backs. "N-Nothing!" They shrieked.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah…"

"Well, we better get going. Right, Kate?" Noélle said.

"Right, Noélle! Well, see you later, Esther!" Kate said as she and Noélle left the room with the dresses.

Esther waved bye. "Something is defiantly up." She set her book on the nightstand and set off to snoop.

* * *

Outside Esther's room, Noélle and Kate nearly fainted. "That was close!" Kate whispered as they walked down the hallway.

"You tell me!" Noélle exclaimed. "I knew we shouldn't been in her room to look for a dress style and color."

"Shhh! Not so loud! We don't her to know about it yet!" Kate shushed her.

Esther walked around. She had wandered outside and toward the stables. The snow had melted and only a little remained. She walked inside the stable and found Tres as he shoveled some hay. "Hello, Tres.'

"Hello." He replied.

"So have you seen Philippe?" She asked him like she did every day. Philippe had been missing ever since that day of the snowstorm.

"No. I haven't."

"Awe. I really miss him. You know everyone has been acting really weird today."

"All right."

'I think something is up."

"Okay then."

Her round-the-bush strategy wasn't working as it was planned. She pout slightly; then regained her composure. "Tres, you know something, don't you?" He didn't answer. "You know what's going on."

He picked up a bucket of grain and began to walk over to a stall. "Positive and I'm not allowed to reveal it to you."

She followed him. "Oh, but could you? Pretty please?" She asked.

"Negative. I could not. By orders of higher authority."

She pouted. "Hm! Fine then!" She turned on her heels and walked out. "I'll see you later."

"Good-bye, Miss Esther."

* * *

Outside, Esther thoughtfully looked up at the sky. "Hmm, who should I ask next?" She wondered. She looked around her surroundings. She had wandered into the gardens. She found a small, white gazebo and took a seat inside it.

"Miss Esther?" Someone asked.

Esther looked in front of her to see Hugue, who wore a brown cloak to shield himself from the UV rays, as he was carrying a tin tub filled with water.

"Oh! Hugue! You know everyone has been acting really strange today."

"Really?" He asked as he placed the tin tub down. He dumped a tin watering can into the water to fill it up. Then, he began to water the flowers.

"Yeah, I think that something is up. Do you know what it is?"

"I haven't a slightest idea as to what." He told her as he poured some water on a petunia.

Knowing that she wouldn't get any more information out of him, Esther slid off the bench inside the gazebo and left the garden, saying, "Oh, okay. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Hugue said, almost like he was lonely.

* * *

Esther pouted as she walked into the castle. No one would tell her just what was going on and she felt like she needed to help what ever it was. She rounded a corner and entered a new hall. There she saw the backs of William and Leon as they walked down the hall. "Oh, Leon! William!" She called and rushed over to two them of them. They turned to her.

"Oh, hello, Miss Esther. What bring you here?" William asked.

"Say, do you know anything about what is going on here?" Esther asked. "No one would tell me."

William automatically switched into defense-mode. "I know nothing about a party or anything!"

"A party?" She gasped.

"Nice one, fool." Leon hissed at him.

"Did I say 'party'? No, I meant I partly know anything about this place!"

"Hm? But it was you who showed me the entire palace. How could you not know anything about this place?"

"Ah, well… I do know, but… There really isn't a party going on for Abel's twenty-first birth––"

"I think we have work to do." Leon said as he clasped a hand over William's mouth to silence him from any more talking. "Excuse us." He said and dragged Leon down the hall.

Once they disappeared from her sight, she smiled. "So that's what is going on." Even though she now knew what was going on, she still kept it a secret of what she learned. And so, she headed back to her room to finish her book.

* * *

Abel sat in a room, one that was far cleaner that his own, and stared into his reflection in the mirror before him. "_I look horrendous_," he thought. He saw his long teeth, messy silver hair, and pale skin. It was all too familiar to him, but still it scared even him.

"Tonight is the night, Abel" Catrina told him as she looked at him seriously.

"I don't think that I can do this." He looked at her. "I mean, just _look_ at me."

"Stop being such a baby, Abel. You know that she is your friend."

"I know, but still…"

"You don't have the time to be timid. Today is your twenty-first birthday. You must confess your love tonight, Abel." She told him as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

He looked back into his reflection. "Yes, I-I… No, I can't."

"You care for Esther, don't you?" She asked him.

"Yes, I do. With all my heart, but what if she doesn't like me the same. I don't what to keep her here against her will."

"But, Abel…"

The door creaked open. William stood at the doorway. "Your lady awaits you."

Abel stood up and walked to the doorway. He stopped before entering it and took a deep breath. Then, he walked out the door.

"He's grown up so much." Catrina noted.

"He has. He sure has."

* * *

Esther entered into the doorway to the flight of marble stairs. She wore a white dress that perfectly fit her figure. The dress was both immodest and modest at the same time for the neckline ran low but not too low. The hems of the dress nearly touched the floor. A ruby was sown into the neckline. It perfectly matched her hair. She walked down the stairs and onto the bridge that connected the two flights of stairs in which they then became one. She stopped there and looked up the other flight of stairs ahead of her. There, Abel stood.

He was nervous. He took another deep breath to calm himself down. After he let it go, he walked down the stairs to met Esther. She walked over to him and curtsied a little. He bowed before her and held out his warm to her. She took it and they walked arm-in-arm down the flight of stairs.

They ate dinner in the dinning room. The place seemed even grander. Vaclav had made a special dinner for them. Only the finest of his recipes, along with a delicious lemon cake filled with sugary goodness just for Abel.

After the wonderful meal, Esther playfully dragged Abel into the ballroom. William took up a violin and began to play a waltz. They stood in the center of the ballroom under a grand chandelier. Esther slid her hand into Abel's giant clawed hand. It was warm, but still had a touch of coldness to it. She took his right hand and placed it on her waist. She looked up at him and smiled. He could only look down at her in doubtfulness. They began to dance.

They seemed to fly with the tempo and notes of the music. They danced around the whole ballroom, twirling in and out. She could only look into his wintry-blue eyes and smile. They were the most beautiful things about him. His eyes. She could get lost in the sea of blue of those eyes. How wonderful they were.

William's piece finally came to the end. With one last chord, he slowly slid his stick across the strings.

Abel led Esther over to the pair of glass doors and walked through them into the night. All of the staff (Kate, Catrina, Noélle, Princess Seth, William, Leon, Vaclav, Tres, Hugue, and Ion) watched the two of them head onto the balcony.

The night air was cool, but lovely. Crickets and over insects hummed in the background. The stars shone all around them It was just heavenly. Abel led her over to a white marble bench near the white marble railings. The beautiful redhead sat with grace and poise. He sat down next to her and slowly inched his way over to her. He took both of her hands in his. She looked up at him with love, yet shyness.

"Esther? Are you happy… here with me?" He asked her.

She looked at him with a puzzling, yet happy, look. "Of course I'm happy." She told him. She looked down at her feet. "It's just…"

"What is it?" He asked dying to know the answer.

"It's just I wish that I could see my mother again for one last time. I miss her dearly." She told him with such a longing look on her face.

He thought for a moment and remembered his mirror. "There is a way." He told her with hope.

"There is?" She asked.

He nodded. "Come with me." He said as he stood up and led her to his room.

* * *

Inside his room, by the table with the rose near the balcony, he took the mirror off the table. "This mirror," he explained, "will show you anything," he held it up to her face, "anything you wish to see."

She took it and looked into her reflection. "I'd like to see my mother, please." The mirror glowed a light green and soon her reflection morphed into a picture of her mother. Laura lay on the path in the woods. Philippe was nowhere to be seen and a cold wind blew harshly. Laura coughed wickedly. Esther expression grew horrified at what she saw. "Mama?" She gasped. "Oh, no. She's sick. She may be dying and he's all alone." She told him.

Abel turned to the balcony and led onto the table. He gripped hard on the wood. His claws dug into the wood as he narrowed his eyes. He looked at the rose behind the glass. It was wilting. He could just make her stay and he would be normal. But that would be cruel just like the monster he looked like. He made up his mind. "Then, you must go to him." He told her even though it was painful.

"What did you say?" She asked not believing what she had heard.

"I release you." Each word was like a punch in his gut. "You are not longer my prisoner."

"You mean," she gasped, "I'm free?"

"Yes." He choked out.

"Oh, thank you." She told him and turned to walk out the door. "Hold on, Mama. I'll be right there." She told the image in the mirror. Then she turned back to the beast behind her. She walked back up to him and handed him the mirror.

"Take it with you." He told her as he pushed it back toward her. "So you'll always have a way to look back and remember me." He ran a clawed hand through her gorgeous red hair.

She placed a petite hand on his thinned cheek. It was clod, yet warm at the same time. She caressed his cheek. "Thank you for understanding how much she needs me." She told him as she looked into his wintry-blue eyes one last time. She had been wrong, very wrong. Her mother needed her so much. How could she just leave her? Then, she turned and left the room.

Esther passed William on her way out as he entered Abel's room. "Well, Your Highness, I must say that everything is just going great. I knew you had it in you, Abel ol' chap!"

Abel looked into the starry night sky. "I let her go."

"Yes, yes. Splen… You what? How could you do that?" William asked in disbelief.

"I had to." He looked into the rose on the table before him.

"Yes, but… Why?"

"Because… I love her, William, I love her." A bloody tear from Abel's wintry-blue eye slid down his cheek and landed on his pale white hand as another petal from the magical rose fell.

* * *

"He did what?" Kate, Catrina, Leon, Noélle, Seth, and Ion gasped after William had told them.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's true." William told them.

"She's going away?" Ion asked.

"But he was so damn close!"

"After all this time," Catrina said, "he finally learned to love."

"Love is pure and genuine." Noélle remarked.

"That's it! That should break the spell!" Leon exclaimed.

"Oh, but it's not enough, Leon," Kate told them. "She has to love him in return."

Seth and Ion exchanged the same sly look. They each had the same plan. As William said, "Now it's too late," the two of them sneaked off together. They each were going to follow Esther.

* * *

Abel watched from his balcony at the front gate of the castle. There, Esther was running to the castle gates. He would never see her again. And if he did he would forever more be stuck like this monster being. "I guess I'll always be damned for eternity…" He muttered hopelessly. His only hope had left him. "Esther, I'll always love you still."

* * *

and so Abel confesses his love. all right he didn't tell Esther yet, but he told you readers! :3 hehe i'm so weird. but anyway look! i told you that i would update soon! it's not that soon, but it's less than a month's wait! now the next chapter will a bit longer to wait for because i'm not sure how to do a few scenes… speaking of which I am sad to say that there are only 2 or 3 more chapters left! i am happy to say that because 1) i won't have to write anymore (i'm in a lazy mood lately) and 2) i'll have one more story that i've exactually completed!! woohoo! so on a further note: please review! i love to hear from you readers! it doesn't even have to be about my story! it could just be about you. I don't care! just give me something to read, but please nothing bad like nasty stuff... anyway until next time!


	9. Kill The Monster!

Chapter 9: Kill The Monster!!

Esther walked through the dark forest. She desperately looked for her mother. "Mother…" She called quietly. A familiar whinny was her answer. She looked into the darkness and saw Philippe. "Philippe!" She gasped and ran to him. She hugged him. "Where's Mother, Philippe? Oh, you must take me to her!" She climbed on his back and rode into the dark thickness of the forest.

The forest was just as dark as that night when Esther ran away from the castle. Only this time, the forest was not as cold. "Mother!" She called out. She had to find Laura. She just had too. "Mother!" Philippe marched around a bend in the path. A crow squawked and flew right passed Esther's noise. "Ah!" She screamed and pulled her head back. She took a deep breath and let it go. "That scared me." Philippe continued around the bend. When he came around it, Esther saw it: A body lying in the road.

"Mother!" She gasped and dismounted Philippe. She rushed to her adopted mother's side. "Mother, are you all right?" She asked in complete worry.

Laura opened her eyes a bit. "Esther…" She whispered before she fainted.

"Mother!" Her adopted daughter cried out. Esther picked up her mother's thin, sickly body and placed her on Philippe's back. She took a hold of his reins and led him home.

* * *

Once inside their home, Esther put Laura in her bed. She had gotten a bowl of cold water and a rag. She dipped the rag into the water and rung it out. She folded it neatly and placed it on her mother's forehead.

Laura slowly opened her eyes. "Esther?"

"Shh."

Laura sat up and hugged her daughter. "I was so afraid, Esther! I thought that something happened to you when Philippe back alone."

"I was sort of captured." Esther said softly.

"Captured! Who did this to you?"

"A monster in the castle in the forest." She told her slowly.

"A monster! Like a vampire in rumors we heard?"

" No! Well, sort of. His servants were vampires but…"

"How did you escape?" Her mother asked worriedly.

"He let me go." She smiled sweetly. "But he isn't really a monster. He may look it, but he's really kind and funny. And he has the biggest sweet tooth I've ever seen." She giggled at her memories at the castle."

"Is he really that way?" Her mother asked, calming down.

"Yes." Esther replied, then she told her mother all about the curse on Abel, Seth, and their friends.

Laura noticed the spark in her eyes as her adopted daughter spoke about Abel. "Esther, I'm so glad you're home, but you love this man––Abel––don't you? You should return to him."

"Love him? I don't love him. I don't think I do…"

A knock on the door interrupted her. "Coming!" Esther called as she stood up from her chair. She walked over to the door and opened it up. She saw a man standing there. He was taller than her and he was slender. His skin was pale and he had long black hair. His outfit was black and his eyes were narrow. "May I help you?" She asked surprised. She had seen that man before. He was a worker in the church and he was rumored to be a sweet talker man, but he was cold.

"Your mother is being arrested for the crime of being a witch." He told her as two bulky men walked into the house passed her and took her mother from the bed.

Laura coughed wickedly as she was dragged from her bed and out the door.

"Mother! Unhand her! She hasn't done anything wrong!" Esther ordered as rage built up with in her.

"She has been practicing the arts of black magic. Just the other day we saw her calling forth the creatures of darkness! We saw her buying Red Clover from the market and she was gathering cat hair!" Porter said as he stood outside with the rest of the village (each of the men stood with torches and pitch forks). "Am I right?"

"Yeah!"

"We saw her!"

"Burn that witch at the stake!"

"No, no! You can't do this, Mr. von Kämpfer!" Esther cried. Tears were at the corners of her eyes as she watched the men drag her mother away.

"Esther!" Laura cried in a weak, tired voice.

Dietrich had wandered up behind Esther. "You know, Esther. I could save your mother."

"What?" She asked as she turned around to face him.

"I could clear up this little misunderstanding, if…"

She looked at him oddly. "If…

He smiled. "If you marry me, my dear sweet Esther."

"Never, Dietrich." She snapped at him. She would never marry such a cruel and selfish man as him! She turned to the crowd. "Listen! My mother was never a witch! She never was!" The redhead ran to her mother and feel to her knees at her mother's feet. She wrapped her arms around her mother waist and buried her head in her mother's belly.

Dietrich clicked his tongue. "She had a spell cast on her to brain wash her."

The crowd murmured between themselves.

"How horrible!"

"She'll probably trick our children into doing her bidding too!"

"Esther had been gone for quite a while."

"That wicked Laura was probably practicing black magic on that poor child!"

"No, no! Esther went on a journey and was captured by a monster and his vampire helpers!" Laura blurted out as two strong men held her by her arms.

That got the crowd scared. "The witch had summoned evil creatures now!"

"No! I did not summon him! I don't even use magic!"

"Then you are liar." Dietrich said in her face. "Maybe you should be condemned for lying too?"

Esther took action. She could not just watch her mother be taken away from her. She stood up and ran to the house. She grabbed her leather pack and took out the mirror from within. She held it to her chest. She hoped that this would work.

* * *

Meanwhile, while all this was taking place, two certain young vampires were watching from the trees in the woods. "Ion, what are were going to do?" Seth asked.

"Shh." Ion shushed.

"But we must help Esther!" Seth squeaked.

"Be quiet! I'm working on it!"

"Fine…" Seth continued to watch the seen before her eyes.

* * *

Esther run back out of house as the crowd was shouting at her mother. "My mother is not lying," She told them, "and I can proove it." She lifted up the mirror and looked into it. "Show me Abel." She asked. It glowed a bright green. She showed it to the crowd. They screamed jumped at the mirror's presence. Abel was in the mirror. His silver of halo of hair was a mess. His long teeth were showing mincingly. His clawed hands were held in front of his face. His eyes were normal. They were peaceful blue, only they showed sorrow. Bloody tears slid down his checks in which her licked when they reached his mouth.

Dietrich's eyes grew wide at the monster in the mirror. It was familiar to him. He had seen that type of beast before.

"Is it dangerous?"

"No, no! He won't hurt anybody." Esther reassured them. "Please, I know her looks vicious, but actually he's really kind and gentle." She looked at his sorrowful face with such love and pity.

Dietrich looked at the monster in the mirror again. He really did look familiar to him.

"He's my friend." Esther said with a smile.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you had _feelings_ for this monster." Dietrich told her.

"He's no monster, Dietrich. _You_ are!" She narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her.

"She's a witch just like her mother! Just look at this mirror!" He said as he took it away from Esther. "It's a magical mirror!" He cared no more for this girl. He wanted first to kill this monster in the mirror. He took away the heart of his woman. He was an old enemy. "The monster will make off with your children and his minions will suck the blood from you. They'll come after them in the night!"

"No, Abel wouldn't do that!" Esther explained as she reached for the magic mirror.

"We are not safe until he is dead! Who will it be? Us or that monster?"

"Stop it, Dietrich––Ah!" Dietrich had slapped Esther so hard that she had landed in the ground beside her mother.

"I say it shall be us! We shall kill the monster!" He explained.

"Yeah!" The villagers exclaimed.

"We're not safe until that monster is dead." A villager, named Petro, spoke.

"He come and raid us of our blood in the shadows of the night." Another one, named Francesco, explained,

"He will kill our children!" A mother, named Paula, exclaimed with her little three-year-old girl in her arms.

"If we let him wander free, he'll wreck havoc on our village!" A man, named Virgil, said.

Dietrich took a torch from the man next to him. "It's time to take action! It's time to follow me! Let's kill that monster!" He threw the torch into the pile of hay near him. It burst into flames.

"The monster has fangs! Razor sharps ones!" Petro said.

"Killer claws!" A woman, named Vanessa, said.

"Hear him roar!" Virgil cried out.

"But we've not coming home," Dietrich exclaimed, "until he's dead! Good and dead! Kill the monster!!"

Esther ran up to Dietrich. She grabbed the mirror from his hand. "I won't let you do this!" She told him.

"Just try and stop me, dear Esther. Just try." He told her as he took her by her wrists over to her mother. "Lock these two way." He told the two men. They took the two women and brought them over to the wooden door to the basement. "We can't have these two running off and warning the monster." They threw them inside.

"Ah!" Esther screamed as she fell inside. The door slammed shut behind them. "Let us out!" She said as she banged of the door. It was locked from the outside.

"We'll rid the village of this monster! Who's with me?" Dietrich asked as he mounted his black horse. The crowd cheered him on. His horse whinnied and reared up on his hind legs. "We'll lay siege to the castle and bring back his head!" The horse settle down and Dietrich and his group of men trough the woods to the castle.

* * *

"We've gotta do something!" Seth exclaimed.

"Seth, you go back and warn the others! I'll stay here and help Esther!" Ion instructed as he stood up on the tree branch.

"Why do _you_ get to rescue Esther?" Seth asked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Ion ignored her and jumped from tree branch to tree branch toward Esther's house.

"Ion, you are such a jerk!!" Seth yelled and ran back toward the castle.

* * *

Esther tried to get the small window open in the basement for that was the only way out now because the villagers had blocked the door. "I have to warn him." She said. She noticed the way opening the window the way she was doing was useless. She could never open it that way. She slumped to the floor. "This is all my fault. If only I never left home."

"Now, now. Don't say that, dear. You are happy that you met Abel, right?" Her mother asked as she went to her side.

Esther looked into her mother's eyes. "Yes. Yes, I am. But now he is going to die! Or Dietrich and all the innocent villagers are going to die!! Oh, Mother, what are we going to do?"

"We'll think of something." Her mother said as she embraced the young red headed woman.

* * *

Ion neared the house. He had seen where the villagers had locked Esther and her mother up. He quickly ran (as almost as if he was flying) to the door. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed around him. He ripped the door to shreds with his long claws. Splinters of wood flew into the air. He burst through the door. "Esther!" He shouted as he entered the basement. He looked for her. There she was, sitting on the floor looking alarmed at his sudden entry.

"Ion!" She gasped as she stood and ran to hug the boy. "How did you know?"

"Seth and I followed you back home, but Seth returned to warn the others."

"Oh, we must save Abel!" She said as she broke their hug and rushed to the door.

Ion grabbed her hand. "Wait, Esther. Why did you leave us? Don't you like us?"

"Oh, Ion. It's not that… I just had to help my mother. I missed her."

Ion let go of her wrist. "Yeah, I understand." He said as he looked at the dark ground as he remembered his own mother.

"Quickly, we must go, Ion!" Esther said as she ran out the basement.

"Yeah." Ion said and ran after her with Laura following behind.

* * *

The group of villagers tromped through the woods with touches, axes, and swords in hand. They chopped down a larger pine tree and cut it into a battering ram. They carried it up the path toward the castle. They were going to kill the monsters living inside that castle. They knew that they could take out any monster in that castle.

* * *

"I knew it." William said as he paced back and forth in the dark room. "I knew it was foolish to get our hopes up!"

"Maybe it would have been better if she had never came at all." Leon muttered bitterly.

Thunder rumbled outside as rain poured heavily. "Now, now. I know something good will happen in the end." Catrina told them.

"She's right." Noélle said wisely. "I did sense hope around her."

"Yeah. Esther will come back." Kate added.

"I doubt it." Leon spat. "She was just dieing to get out of this damn place!"

"Hey! Guys!" A voice called. Each of the servants turned their heads to the door to see them burst open as a drenched Seth flew into the room.

"Princess Seth!" They all gasped.

"What are you doing out of your room?" Leon asked sternly.

"And why are you clothes drenched? Where you outside?" Noélle asked.

"Never mind that! Terrans! The Terrans are coming! They want to kill us and more importantly they want to kill my brother!" She explained as she caught her breath.

"Terrans?" Catrina asked.

"Why would those damn humans want to come here for?" Leon asked.

"It seems one of them likes Esther so he wants to kill my brother! We must stop them."

Catrina left the room. "I'll go warn Abel."

* * *

Dietrich, with the mirror in his hands, walked up the roadway to the castle door in the pouring rain. "Take whatever you find, but remember the monster in mine." He instructed his men. With a battle cry, they took the battering ram and rammed it into the wooden door.

* * *

Catrina entered Abel's room. "Pardon me, Abel." She said as she approached him.

"Leave me alone." He said. His voice sounded so depressed and worthless. He looked at the rose in the glass case. There were only three more petals on the rose. His time was running out. He only had until sunrise before he would be forever a monster.

"But, Abel, the castle is under an attack. By humans! Aren't you going to do something?"

"What does it matter?" He asked. "Just let them come."

* * *

"We can't kill them, Leon, remember that." William said as he and the others gathered weapons.

"Yeah, but we can scare them." Leon told William. He picked up a rope and a knife.

William looked at him oddly. "You just better not hurt any of them with that."

"You know damn well that I won't!" Leon snapped as he gathered more weapons.

Then all of them quickly headed to the entrance hall to greet their "guests".

* * *

The townsfolk continued to ram the battering ram into the wooden door. Countless of times they rammed it into the door. Rain was pouring on them. With one last hit the door flew open. Dietrich was the first to go inside. The palace was dark and empty so far. Other men entered after him. They slowly walked up the red carpet and to the grand case of marble stairs. Dietrich was the first to walk up them. He reached the top and when he turned around his army of villagers were gone. "I knew I couldn't rely on such helpless people." He muttered to himself and walked down the dark hallway in search to find the monster.

Where exactly did those villagers go? Leon, William, Kate, Catrina, Tres, Vaclav, Hugue, and Seth captured them all and tied them up with rope. Leon threaten them with the knife if they were to shout or budge. They obeyed them without any problem.

* * *

Dietrich, with a bow and arrow ready in his hands, kicked open a door in the dark hallway. He lunched inside and pointed his arrow. No one was in the room. He noticed that the room was fairly feminine. He saw on the table a blue ribbon. He walked over to it and picked it up. He knew that ribbon all too well. It was Esther's ribbon. Now he was sure that that beast was still alive. Even though he had tried to avenge his master, he had failed. But this time that beast had even touched his precious woman. Even though Dietrich had tons of money and had tons of women, Esther was the only one he would truly "love", if that cold-hearted man could truly love.

* * *

Abel sat looking at the rose. His time was running even shorter. Only two petals hung on for dear life.

Dietrich opened the door softly. He slipped inside and saw Abel––his back facing toward Dietrich. He pulled back his arrow and aimed straight for his heart. He let go and the arrow soared. It soared until it hit its destination.

Abel stood and roared with pain. His eyes turned red and his wings appeared.

Dietrich ran up to him and pushed him through the glass window next to Abel. It scattered as his body went through it. Abel landed onto the balcony. Rain poured onto him, making him wet.

Dietrich smiled. He leapt through the window.

Abel stood to his feet and weakly fell onto the railing of the balcony. Dietrich pushed him off the balcony.

Abel didn't care. He knew that his life would be even worse without Esther. He'd rather die then stay a monster forever. So he didn't fly. He just rolled down the roof of his castle. He stopped rolling at the end of a ledge. Dietrich jumped down and followed him over to the ledge.

"Get up." Dietrich told him.

Abel looked at him sorrowfully. He did not wish to fight. This was the end for him.

"Get up!" Dietrich kicked Abel. "What's the matter, Abel? Too kind and gentle to fight back?"

Abel looked away from him. It was all over for him. He would die here.

"NOOOOO!" A voice yelled.

Abel looked down at the castle entrance. There was Esther, Ion, and Laura all riding Philippe. "Esther?" Abel whispered.

Dietrich took a knife out from his belt and went to stab the monster with it. At that moment Abel rose up. He used his own blood to create his scythe. He growled at Dietrich. His once peaceful blue eyes had gone red. His wings were opened proudly.

"Let's go, Philippe." Esther told her horse as she made him canter. They entered the caste.

Lightning struck Abel's wings. Blue electricity swam within them. Abel swung his scythe. Dietrich dodged it. Dietrich ran a bit and broke off a rod like object off the castle. He faced Abel.

Abel swung his scythe again this time Dietrich swung the rod. Both weapons clashed. They both leaned into their weapons. Abel was stronger and pushed Dietrich off of him. Dietrich rolled down the roof and landed onto another flat part of the castle. Abel took this chance to hide.

"Come out and fight!" Dietrich yelled. "Were you in love with her, Abel? Did you honestly think that she'd want you when she had someone like me?" He asked. "It's over, Abel! Esther is mine!"

Abel, who was hiding in the shadows, was getting angrier every second. This man who had followed his brother did not deserve to live. Abel growled softly before jumping out at him as he swung his scythe. This time Dietrich wasn't as fortunate. Abel stabbed him right it the heart with his scythe. Dietrich fell to his knees and slowly began to die. Abel retracted his scythe from the body and it disappeared.

"Abel!" Esther cried as she entered the balcony that led into Abel's room.

Abel turned around and saw her. He flew over to her. He stopped at her and continued to hover next to her. "Esther?" He reached out a clawed hand and cupped her small face. "You came back?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Dietrich lay at his death. _"I have failed you again, Mein Herr, but please grant me your power so that I can finish him."_

_I will grant you your wish._

* * *

Abel looked into Esther's eyes. "You really came back."

"Of course I'd come back." She said.

Suddenly a thud was heard. A hole was made in Abel's chest. Blood oozed out from his wound. He roared it pain. "Abel!" Esther squealed.

Dietrich laughed as he fell backward. Only it wasn't Dietrich's voice. Abel knew whose voice it was. It was his brother's. It was Cain's. The power that Dietrich had used was Cain's. But no one would ever see or hear of Cain ever again.

Abel became weak. His life was almost up. Esther pulled him up onto the balcony where he immediately fell onto the floor.

All of his servants ran from his room to the entrance of the balcony where one could see the rose in the glass case. One petal still clung of all of its life.

Esther turned Abel onto his back. She looked into his eyes longingly.

He panted deeply as the life was slowly grained from him. "You… You came back, Esther." He said.

"Of course I came back. Abel, oh this is all my fault." She said as she hugged him.

"Maybe… maybe it's better this way." He told her as he choked on his words.

"Don't talk like that." She told him. "You'll be fine. Look I'm here now. Everything is going to be all right."

"At least I got to see you one last time…." He said as his breath left him and he died.

Tears slid down Esther's face. She clung to his body and cried, "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!! Abel! No! No!" Her body shook with each sob. "Abel, I love you! You can't leave me! I need you! Abel…"

At those words, the last petal fell. All hope was gone.


	10. Epilogue: Broken Wings

Epilogue: Broken Wings

_Love… is pure and genuine and shall break the spell…_

Blue rays of light rain down around them. They sparkled and hissed as they hit the floor of the balcony. Abel's body slowly rose into the air. Esther just watched as it rose. His tattered, broken wings were wrapped tightly around his body like a black cape. A blue light escaped from his body. The claws on his hands were the first to go. A blue light engulfed them and the turned into a human's hand. Next his blue-dyed lips turned to normal human's lips. Then, his fang like teeth shrank and dulled. A gust of magical wind blew through his halo of long silver hair and it soon fell round his face. At that second, his black feathers blew away in the magical gust of wind, revealing a silk black cloak. As millions of black feathers danced in the window and floated down around Esther, Abel slowly floated to the ground just like a feather.

The rain began to light up. Esther went over to she if he was alive, when all of the sudden, his body moved. He stood up and looked at his hands. He saw that the claws were gone. Then, he spun around and faced Esther. His clothes were tattered and his cloak was ripped. But that face. Esther had only seen that face once before. In her daydream she had seem him as the prince who danced with her.

"Esther," Abel spoke, his words were scratchy no more, "It's me." He grabbed her hands and held them softly.

Esther looked at him. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't, but when she saw those eyes, those clear blue eyes. She knew it was he. She reached up and played with a lock of his soft silver hair. "It is you." She said with a smile. She rested her head on his cheek. This was he: the man she loved.

He placed had on her cheek and brushed her red hair away from her eyes. This was she: the woman he loved.

They both locked eyes. Then, he leaned down and she leaned up. Their lips met in a most passionate kiss. Blue magic circled around them and soared into the sky. It hit the sky and exploded. The magic dust landed onto the castle making everything beautiful again.

The sun came out and so did the servants. Leon and Noélle came out together. Then so did Kate and William. Tres, Hugue, Vaclav and Catrina entered with pious. Princess Seth and Ion came out last. Both Seth and Ion looked like teenagers and not children.

"Brother! Look at us! We're free!" Seth said as she jumped out her brother.

Abel fell backwards and everyone (set aside Tres) had a laugh. They were no longer under the spell. They were no longer Crusniks and Methuselahs. They were humans again.

Seth gave her brother a big hug and ran over to Ion where she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Everyone saw that and Ion became as red as a tomato.

Noélle and Kate decided to mimic the two teenagers and Noélle kissed Leon's cheek while Kate kissed William's cheek. Both men blushed even a darker shade of red than Ion. Everyone laughed at the two men and the young boy.

Abel had climbed back up onto his feet and picked Esther up as he spun around. She laughed even harder.

* * *

The next day they held a royal ball in honor of the broken enchantment. Abel picked Esther, who wore the same white and red dress as the ball, up and twirled her around. Then he let her back onto the ground where he kissed her passionately. Once they broke the kiss, he continued to lead the dance that they were dancing too.

Ion and Princess Seth watched them as they danced themselves. They both had grins on their faces as Esther and Abel passed them.

"They are going to live happily ever after." Seth said with a sigh.

Ion looked deeply in her eyes. "And so will we." He told her and kissed her.

And they all lived happily ever after….

* * *

_I know this will not remain forever_

_However it's beautiful_

_Your eyes, hands and your warm smile_

_They're my treasure_

_It's hard to forget_

_I wish there was a solution_

_Don't spend your time in confusion_

_I'll turn back now and spread_

**Trinity Blood belongs to Sunao Yoshida, Gonzo, and Funimation Entertainment**

_My broken wings still strong enough to cross the ocean with_

_My broken wings How far should I go drifting in the wind_

_Higher and higher in the light_

_My broken wings still strong enough to cross the ocean with_

_My broken wings How far should I go drifting in the wind_

_Across the sky, just keep on flying_

**Beauty and the Beast belongs to Walt Disney Pictures**

_**The pain that cannot be measured, the flow of time that cannot be measured**_

_**Even if that may fill up everything**_

_**I can still feel**_

_**What falls from the sky is not the rain. . .**_

**A Beauty and a Beast was written by Sapphire Rose E. **

**All rights reserved**

_Did I ever chain you down to my heart_

_'Cause I was afraid of you?_

_No, I couldn't hold any longer_

_Love is not a toy_

_Let go of me now_

_The time we spent is perpetual_

_Our future is not real_

_I'll leap into the air_

**Cast:**

**Belle: Esther Blanchett**

**Beast: Crusnik 02 (Abel Nightroad)**

**Lumiere/ Cogsworth: William Walters Wordsworth**

**Lumiere/Cogsworth: Leon Garcia de Asturias**

**Mrs. Potts: Catrina Sforza**

**Chip: Ion**

**Maurice: Laura Vitez**

**Gaston: Dietrich von Lohengrin**

**Wardrobe/Feather duster: Noélle Bor**

**Maid: Kate Scott**

**Cook: Vaclav Havel**

**Gardener: Hugue de Watteau**

**Stable keeper: Tres Iqus**

**Beast's Sister: Seth Nightlord**

**Beast's Elder Brother: Cain Nightlord**

**Lefou: Porter**

**Head Father: Issak ****Fernand von Kämpfer**

**Villager #1: Petro Oricini**

**Villager #2:****Francesco di Medici**

**Villager #3:****Paula Souwauski**

**Villager #4: Virgil Walsh**

**Villager #5: Vanessa Walsh**

**Enchantress: Lilith Sahl**

**and Philippe as himself**

_My broken wings still strong enough to cross the ocean with_

_My broken wings How far should I go drifting in the wind_

_Higher and higher in the light_

_My broken wings still strong enough to cross the ocean with_

_My broken wings How far should I go drifting in the wind_

_Across the sky, just keep on flying_

**Special Thanks to:**

**Slothspieller**

**cloudydreams4**

**Anri**

**LifesDarkFire**

**dbzgtfan2004**

**SheDevil85**

**Sarai**

**Fanay**

**Leah**

**KeidaHattori**

**lindajrjt**

**MagisiticalM**

**Mystified84**

**CrystalenoOtako**

**shatterediris93**

**and all you other readers! (please review)**

_**What falls from the sky is not the rain. . .**_


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